Elisa Amo-Saus

To analyse the factors associated with unwanted loneliness in non-institutionalized over-65-year-olds in Spain. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative national sample (n = 1,003) by means of computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). Loneliness was measured using the UCLA 3-item scale, with two intensity cut-offs (≥ 4 y ≥ 5). Logistic regressions were applied to identify significant associations between sociodemographic, economic and health variables and self-reported loneliness-inducing situations. Loneliness was significantly associated with being widowed, living alone, low income, anxiety or depression, low life satisfaction and difficulties with new technologies, The presence of anxiety or depression exhibited a potentially reciprocal association with loneliness. Urban environments were also linked to a greater prevalence of loneliness. Unwanted loneliness in older adults is a multi-factorial phenomenon with implications for mental health and well-being. Satisfaction with life was found to act as a protective factor. These findings reinforce the need for multidisciplinary strategies to address and prevent loneliness in old age. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-026-26742-5.

Individuals’ lifestyles play an important role in healthcare costs. A large part of these costs is derived from hospitalizations. With the aim of determine the relationship between lifestyle and the likelihood of hospitalization and associate costs in older adults, this study used the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe. Generalized regression models for panel data were developed and adjusted hospitalization costs derived from the length of hospital stay were also estimated. The average adjusted cost of hospitalization was I$ 9901.50 and the analyses showed that performing weekly physical activity significantly reduces the probability of hospitalization (OR: 0.624) and its costs (I$ 2594.5 less per person per year than subjects who never performed physical activity). Muscle strength plays an important role in this relationship and eating habits are not of great significance. Furthermore, we found interesting differences in the frequency and costs of hospitalization between subjects by country.

La crisis del coronavirus ha dejado en evidencia que los recortes aplicados durante la gran recesión empeoraron la atención a mayores y dependientes.

Considering food habits as a modifiable risk factor, an early intervention on youth people could avoid future health and social costs. We aim to determine the level of compliance with the recommendations of the Mediterranean diet pyramid according to social determinants in university students and to analyse the association of these social determinants (and their interaction with gender) with different food group consumption. We used the records of an electronic cross-sectional survey on university students (n = 593) from inland Spain. The results show, generally, that university students do not fully comply with the recommendations and that gender is the social determinant with the greatest effect on differences in food group consumption. Women have a lower consumption of dairy products, olives, nuts and seeds, red meat, and processed meat, sweets, eggs, alcoholic drinks and fast food; and a higher consumption of fruit, compared with men. Socioeconomic status, geographic area, and whether students cook for themselves have a limited influence on differences in food group consumption, which is inconsistent with the literature. Policy makers should consider this gender gap if they wish to implement a policy based on healthy diet, considering that other social determinants are also important, and could interact with gender.

Food habits are important to promote and maintain good health throughout life, and unhealthy diet is a modifiable and preventable risk factor. University students are a key group of adults among whom to promote healthy lifestyles. The aim of this study is to determine the factors associated with unhealthy diet in a sample of university students. An electronic cross-sectional survey was conducted with university students (n=593) from inland Spain, during the 2016-2017 academic year. The survey collected information on the participants’ food habits using an annual food frequency questionnaire. We also collected socioeconomic and demographic data and lifestyle-related information. A multivariate logistic regression was used for analysis. The multivariate logistic regression revealed that the factors associated with an unhealthy diet were: being male, being underweight compared to the reference category (normal weight), having a mother of low socioeconomic status, the family home not being in the university city and, finally, studying a non health-related course Among students of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, being male, being underweight, the family home not being in the university city, having a mother of low socioeconomic status, and, finally, not studying a health-related course are the factors associated with a lower quality diet. Following a healthy diet is key in reducing the health costs of non-communicable diseases, and ensuring an acceptable long-term quality of life in populations.

Introducción: los buenos hábitos de alimentación, como el consumo de frutas y verduras, permiten tener una mejor salud y, consecuentemente, minorar el consumo de recursos sanitarios. Es importante establecer una asociación entre consumo de frutas y verduras y el uso de los servicios sanitarios en la población española para considerar la necesidad de intervenir.Métodos: se empleó la Encuesta Europea de Salud en España del año 2014 y, mediante la utilización de modelos Hurdle, se valoró si existían diferencias en el acceso y la frecuentación al médico de familia, especialista y urgencias, dependiendo de los hábitos de consumo de frutas y verduras. Posteriormente, mediante la técnica propensity score matching se generaron dos grupos con los que poder comparar las diferencias en la frecuentación de los servicios sanitarios dependiendo del consumo de frutas y/o verduras y otras covariables de ajuste. Finalmente, se estima el coste de dichas diferencias por grupos de consumo.Resultados: se revela la existencia de diferencias en el acceso al servicio de urgencias, tanto por los sujetos que no consumen nunca fruta como por parte de los sujetos que no consumen nunca verdura. En el primer caso hay un incremento de 420 visitas al año por cada 1.000 personas con un coste atribuible de 75.000 €, mientras que en el segundo caso se observa un incremento de 780 visitas al año por cada 1.000 personas, con un coste equivalente de 139.000 €.Conclusiones: determinados hábitos de alimentación de la población española como no consumir nunca fruta o verdura producen importantes gastos evitables en el sistema sanitario. Es de gran interés implementar políticas de prevención para minorar dichos gastos y emplear los recursos de forma adecuada.

The Mediterranean diet (MeDi) is considered a healthy dietary pattern, and greater adherence to this diet may improve health status. It also may reduce the social and economic costs of diet-related illnesses. This meta-review aims to summarize, synthesize and organize the effects of MeDi pattern on different health outcomes. This meta-review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search was conducted in the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Two researchers screened all the records to eliminate any duplicate, and they selected the articles to be fully reviewed. A third researcher was consulted to resolve discrepancies and so reach a consensus agreement. Thirty-three articles were included, nine were systematic reviews and twenty-four were meta-analyses. Most of the diseases analysed are catalogued as non-communicable diseases (NCD), and the impact of these in populations may have major financial consequences for healthcare spending and national income. The results showed that the MeDi may improve health status, and it also may reduce total lifetime costs. MeDi has been shown to be a healthy dietary pattern that may reduce risk related to NCD. The effect is larger if the pattern is combined with physical activity, and tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption are avoided. Promoting the MeDi as a healthy dietary pattern presents challenges which need the collaboration of all levels of society.