Community activities and their association with social isolation in rural Japan

Background Isolation and subjective feelings of loneliness pose a threat to health, and measures have been taken to address both. However, the decline of communities because of social change has accelerated, and daily support for isolation is lacking. The support offered is not sufficiently effective for isolated individuals, and improvements are needed. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of isolated individuals. Methods Survey forms were sent to 1,500 residents aged ≥20 years residing in Sera Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. This study used secondary data from the communication questionnaire responses. The survey items included basic attributes, as well as measures of isolation, subjective feelings of loneliness, and community activities. Isolation was classified using a scale, and associations with participant characteristics were analyzed using the χ 2 tests, Kruskal–Wallis tests and Mann–Whitney U tests. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the comprehensive relationships between isolation and states. Finally, community activity status was examined specifically among isolated individuals. Results The analysis included 689 residents who responded to the survey completely. Of these, 203 were classified as isolated and 486 as non-isolated. The analysis revealed significant associations between isolation and health status, life satisfaction, frequency of working, subjective feelings of loneliness, and community activities. In terms of comprehensive relationships, isolation was associated with fewer frequent outings, higher level of subjective feelings of loneliness, and lower participation in community activities. Isolated individuals considered activities such as helping others, other volunteers, and hobbies to be meaningful and expressed a strong desire to participate in them. Conclusion Isolation suggested to be to associated with frequent outings, subjective feelings of loneliness, and participation in community activities. Isolated individuals had less frequent outings, a high level of subjective feelings of loneliness, and did not participate in community activities. Community activities in which isolated individuals want to participate were suggested to have clear goals such as helping others and hobbies. Our findings suggest to be a promising targets for future interventional and evaluation studies.