OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine loneliness among two birth cohorts, born 20 years apart, when they were 70 years of age, and to identify factors explaining loneliness. METHODS: The cohorts consisted of older home-dwelling residents of Turku, Finland, from the birth cohort 1920 in 1991 (N=1530) and the birth cohort 1940 in 2011 (N=1307). Suffering from loneliness was assessed with the question: 'Do you suffer from loneliness?' @entity2915 with chi-square test, @entity3628 ( @entity3628 ) and multiple regression analysis were used in statistical testing and modeling. RESULTS: In the 1940 cohort, around one-fifth (18%) of the respondents suffered from loneliness at least sometimes, while the corresponding figure in the 1920 cohort was around one-fourth (26%). Our analyses indicated that the effect of cohort was not a statistically significant explanatory factor of loneliness. Living status, self-rated health and memory compared to age peers were statistically significant explanatory factors for suffering from loneliness. When we controlled the effect of @entity308 on the experience of loneliness, it was shown that the effects of living status and self-rated health remained statistically significant, whereas memory compared to age peers did not. @entity308 itself was highly important. The combined effect of living status and self-rated health emerged as the most significant explanatory factor for loneliness. Older @entity1 with poor self-rated health who lived alone were most likely to suffer from loneliness. CONCLUSION: The findings give healthcare professionals an opportunity to plan for interventions aimed at combating loneliness among home-dwelling older @entity1 .

Loneliness of older XXXX aged 70: A comparison of two Finnish cohorts born 20 years apart.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['people'] @entity308 :: ('MESH:D003866', 'Disease') :: ['depressiveness', 'Depressiveness'] @entity2915 :: ('MESH:D006948', 'Disease') :: ['Cross-tabulations'] @entity3628 :: ('MESH:D004195', 'Disease') :: ['general linear model', 'GLM']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['people']
