Social Prescribing in Sweden (SPiS)

NCT04336553 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: 1:1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 220
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Loneliness among older adults has become an issue of public concern, as it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Yet, despite the urgency, there is little information on how to reduce or prevent loneliness. The focus of this project is using experiences from the United Kingdom's initiative social prescribing, which gives General Practitioners the option of referring clients in need to a coordinator, who in dialogue with the client finds activities for the client to engage in within the local community. Until now, social prescribing has not been tested in Sweden. Therefore, with the overarching goal of reducing loneliness and improving health and wellbeing, the aim of the project is to develop and test a Swedish social prescribing program in order to explore circumstances under which the program can reduce loneliness and improve wellbeing in older adults. The project will be carried out in collaboration between researchers, a primary healthcare center, and a community activity initiative. In the first phase, the research group will bring potential end-users and stakeholders together in workshops to discuss, develop, and design a Swedish program for social prescribing. Interviews with potential end-users and stakeholders will be carried out to analyze challenges and possibilities with the program. In a second phase, the Swedish program will be implemented to evaluate experiences and the effect of Social prescribing in Sweden regarding loneliness, health, wellbeing among older adults (65 yrs or older) in Sweden. The study will be carried out in a feasibility study and a large-scale RCT study. including both qualitative and quantitative data Based on the results of this study, there will be new knowledge gained concerning if and how social prescribing can be used among older adults in a Swedish context.

Conditions

Loneliness

Keywords

Loneliness; Older adults; Social occupations; Participation; Social prescribing

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Loneliness

  The UCLA loneliness scale used for studying changes in loneliness interventions, using this scale, participants' self-reported experiences of loneliness will be measured. The measurement includes 20 statements, rated on a four-step scale from never to always. The given scores are summarized into a total score, ranging from 20-80. Four levels of loneliness have been identified and preliminarily established, and the measurement has been used on groups of older people, and frequently in intervention studies.

  0, 3 and 12 month

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Health

  0, 3 and 12 months

• Health

  0, 3 and 12 months

• Depression

  0, 3 and 12 months

• MNPS Interest checklist

  0, 3 and 12 months

• Social network and support

  0, 3 and 12 months

Study Arms (2)

Intervention: Social prescribing in sweden (SPiS)

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients (older adults experiencing loneliness) at a Health care clinic are invited to an optional additional internal referral for social prescribing (SPiS) within four working days. SPiS is a means of enabling the professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services. SPiS will involve a variety of activities, tailored to the patients needs and desires) which are typically provided by voluntary and community sector organisations.

Behavioral: Social prescribing in Sweden (SPiS)

Control: Social prescribing in sweden (SPiS)

NO INTERVENTION

Patients (older adults experiencing loneliness) at a Health care clinic are invited to an optional additional internal referral for social prescribing (SPiS) within three months. SPiS is a means of enabling the professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services. SPiS will involve a variety of activities, tailored to the patients needs and desires) which are typically provided by voluntary and community sector organisations.

Interventions

Social prescribing in Sweden (SPiS) BEHAVIORAL

Social prescribing in sweden (SPiS)

Intervention: Social prescribing in sweden (SPiS)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• \- Persons 65 years or older who experience loneliness will be included after given informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• \- Persons who, due to cognitive impairment, are unable to give informed consent will be excluded

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Umeå University: lead
• Forte: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Hälsocentralen Husläkarna

Umeå, Sweden

RECRUITING

Related Publications (18)

• Nyqvist F, Cattan M, Conradsson M, Nasman M, Gustafsson Y. Prevalence of loneliness over ten years among the oldest old. Scand J Public Health. 2017 Jun;45(4):411-418. doi: 10.1177/1403494817697511. Epub 2017 Apr 6.

  PMID: 28381194 BACKGROUND

• Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2015 Mar;10(2):227-37. doi: 10.1177/1745691614568352.

  PMID: 25910392 BACKGROUND

• Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB. Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Med. 2010 Jul 27;7(7):e1000316. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316.

  PMID: 20668659 BACKGROUND

• Mann F, Bone JK, Lloyd-Evans B, Frerichs J, Pinfold V, Ma R, Wang J, Johnson S. A life less lonely: the state of the art in interventions to reduce loneliness in people with mental health problems. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2017 Jun;52(6):627-638. doi: 10.1007/s00127-017-1392-y. Epub 2017 May 20.

  PMID: 28528389 BACKGROUND

• Masi CM, Chen HY, Hawkley LC, Cacioppo JT. A meta-analysis of interventions to reduce loneliness. Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2011 Aug;15(3):219-66. doi: 10.1177/1088868310377394. Epub 2010 Aug 17.

  PMID: 20716644 BACKGROUND

• Social prescribing: community-based referral in public health. Perspect Public Health. 2018 Jan;138(1):18-19. doi: 10.1177/1757913917736661. No abstract available.

  PMID: 29290159 BACKGROUND

• Dickens AP, Richards SH, Greaves CJ, Campbell JL. Interventions targeting social isolation in older people: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2011 Aug 15;11:647. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-647.

  PMID: 21843337 BACKGROUND

• Dahlberg L, Andersson L, McKee KJ, Lennartsson C. Predictors of loneliness among older women and men in Sweden: A national longitudinal study. Aging Ment Health. 2015;19(5):409-17. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2014.944091. Epub 2014 Aug 15.

  PMID: 25126996 BACKGROUND

• World Health Organization. Knowledge translation on ageing & health: A framework policy development 2012. Geneva, Switzerland.: WHO Document Production Services 2012.

  BACKGROUND

• Ferlander S. The importance of different forms of social capital for health. Acta Sociologica. 2007;50(2):115-28.

  BACKGROUND

• Thomson LJ, Camic PM, Chatterjee HJ. Social prescribing: A review of community referral schemes. London: University College London: University College London; 2015

  BACKGROUND

• Brandling J, House W. Social prescribing in general practice: adding meaning to medicine. Br J Gen Pract. 2009 Jun;59(563):454-6. doi: 10.3399/bjgp09X421085. No abstract available.

  PMID: 19520038 BACKGROUND

• Bickerdike L, Booth A, Wilson PM, Farley K, Wright K. Social prescribing: less rhetoric and more reality. A systematic review of the evidence. BMJ Open. 2017 Apr 7;7(4):e013384. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013384.

  PMID: 28389486 BACKGROUND

• Wilson P, Booth A. Evidence to inform the commissioning of social presribing. York: University of York. Center of Reviews and Dissemination; 2015.

  BACKGROUND

• Kimberlee RH. Developing a social prescribing approach for Bristol. Bristol: University of the West of England; 2013.

  BACKGROUND

• Polley M, Bertotti B, Kimberlee R, Pilkington K, Refsum C. A review of the evidence assessing impact of social prescribing on healthcare demand and cost implications. University of Westminister; 2017.

  BACKGROUND

• Lindberg J, Lundgren A-S. Positioning the ageing subject: Articulations of choice in Sweden and UK health and social care. Policy studies. 2019:doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2019.1599839.

  BACKGROUND

• Nilsson I, Nyqvist F, Gustafson Y, Nygard M. Leisure Engagement: Medical Conditions, Mobility Difficulties, and Activity Limitations-A Later Life Perspective. J Aging Res. 2015;2015:610154. doi: 10.1155/2015/610154. Epub 2015 Aug 5.

  PMID: 26346706 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Ingeborg Nilsson

  Umeå University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Frida Jonsson, PhD

CONTACT

+46907869597; frida.jonsson@umu.se

Ingeborg Nilsson, Professor

CONTACT

ingeborg.nilsson@umu.se

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 2, 2020
• First Posted: April 7, 2020
• Study Start: May 1, 2023
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2024
• Study Completion: December 31, 2025
• Last Updated: May 12, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-05

Locations

SE (1)