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Reducing loneliness and social isolation through the HELPeN telephone-call program: results from a randomized controlled trial in older adults living in the community

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dc.contributor.authorHernández López, María Jesús
dc.contributor.authorGarcía González, Jessica
dc.contributor.authorLeal Costa, César
dc.contributor.authorRamos Morcillo, Antonio Jesús
dc.contributor.authorDíaz García, Isidora
dc.contributor.authorLópez Pérez, María Verónica
dc.contributor.authorHernández Méndez, Solanger
dc.contributor.authorRuzafa Martínez, María
dc.contributor.departmentEnfermería
dc.contributor.otherFacultades de la UMU::Facultad de Enfermería
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-10T09:27:31Z
dc.date.available2026-03-10T09:27:31Z
dc.date.copyright© 2025 by the authors
dc.date.issued2026
dc.description.abstractBackground/Objectives: Loneliness is a significant public health issue among older adults, especially in rural and socioeconomically vulnerable groups. Telephone-based interventions have become a scalable, cost-effective way to reduce social isolation, although evidence of their long-term effects on various health outcomes remains limited. This study aimed to assess how effective HELPeN, a structured telephone program delivered by trained nursing students, is in decreasing loneliness and enhancing psychosocial and cognitive health in community-living older adults. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 119 older adults (≥65 years) residing in the community. Participants were allocated to either an intervention group (n = 65), which received weekly structured telephone calls over 9 months, or a control group (n = 54), which received standard care. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline (M0), mid-intervention (M1–M3), and 3 months after the intervention (M4). The primary outcomes measured included loneliness and perceived social support. Secondary outcomes comprised functional status, comorbidities, depressive symptoms, quality of life, sleep quality, and cognitive function. The data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA with Greenhouse–Geisser correction. Results: Significant group interactions over time were identified for loneliness (F = 5.92, p = 0.001, η2 = 0.067), social support (F = 3.39, p = 0.023, η2 = 0.043), depressive symptoms (F = 3.87, p = 0.019, η2 = 0.046), and cognitive status (F = 5.35, p = 0.002, η2 = 0.063). No significant differences were found for functional status, comorbidity, sleep quality, or quality of life. Conclusions: The HELPeN program demonstrated significant effectiveness in reducing loneliness and social isolation, and in improving emotional, cognitive, and sleep-related outcomes in older adults. As a low-cost and scalable model, this intervention strengthens the role of nursing students in addressing social determinants of health and may be integrated into community and public health strategies targeting vulnerable aging populations.
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dc.format.extent18
dc.identifier.citationJ. Clin. Med., 2026, 15(1), 93
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15010093
dc.identifier.eissn2077-0383
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10201/219322
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.relationThis research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-funded by the European Union, grant number PI21/00984.
dc.relation.publisherversionhttps://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/1/93
dc.relation.requireshttp://hdl.handle.net/10201/219661
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International*
dc.rights.accessRightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.subjectSocial isolation
dc.subjectAged
dc.subjectSocial support
dc.subjectDepression
dc.subjectCognitive dysfunction
dc.subjectRandomized controlled trial
dc.subjectLoneliness
dc.subject.odsNo relacionado con ningún objetivo de desarrollo sostenible
dc.titleReducing loneliness and social isolation through the HELPeN telephone-call program: results from a randomized controlled trial in older adults living in the community
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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