Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Longitudinal Association Between Social Isolation and COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Japanese Older Citizen: an Observational Study

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Journal of General Internal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

A Correction to this article was published on 01 May 2024

This article has been updated

Abstract

Background

Social isolation is associated with decreased intent to receive vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, its association with COVID-19 vaccine uptake is unknown.

Objective

The present study aimed to determine the association between social isolation and subsequent COVID-19 vaccination using the data from a representative Japanese sample.

Design

Longitudinal observational study.

Participants

Japanese citizens aged  ≥ 65 years who participated in the Quality of Life in COVID-19 Era (QoLCoVE) study which began in March 2020.

Main Measures

Social isolation was assessed in March 2020 using the abbreviated Lubben Social Network Scale, with a score of  ≤ 11 indicating social isolation. To evaluate the relationship between social isolation at the baseline and COVID-19 vaccine uptake (including reservation for vaccine administration) between August and September 2021, we estimated adjusted risk ratios with 95% CIs using modified Poisson regression with adjustment for potential confounders.

Key Results

A total of 921 participants met the inclusion criteria in the initial survey, of whom 720 (78.2%) completed the follow-up survey. Median age was 70 years (interquartile range: 66–72), and 329 (45.7%) participants were male. Twenty-one (16.5%) of 127 socially isolated participants, and 48 (8.1%) of 593 non-socially isolated participants did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Socially isolated participants were less likely to take COVID-19 vaccine than non-socially isolated participants (adjusted risk ratio 1.98, 95% CI: 1.18–3.32).

Conclusions

Social isolation is associated with reduced COVID-19 vaccine uptake among older adults. To further promote COVID-19 vaccination in the older population, support for social isolation might be necessary.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The datasets used in the current study are not open-access, but the corresponding author may partly provide the data upon formal and reasonable request after being reviewed by the steering committee of the project.

Change history

References

  1. Di Fusco M, Lin J, Vaghela S, et al. COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among immunocompromised populations: a targeted literature review of real-world studies. Expert Rev Vaccines 2022;21:435-51.

  2. Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). OurWorldInData.org, 2020. https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus. Accessed 6 Nov 2022.

  3. COVID-19 Information and Resources. https://corona.go.jp/en/. Accessed 6 Nov 2022.

  4. Baack BN, Abad N, Yankey D, et al. COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Intent Among Adults Aged 18-39 Years - United States, March-May 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70:928-33.

  5. Fisher KA, Bloomstone SJ, Walder J, Crawford S, Fouayzi H, Mazor KM. Attitudes Toward a Potential SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: A Survey of U.S. Adults. Ann Intern Med 2020;173:964–73.

  6. Nguyen KH, Nguyen K, Corlin L, Allen JD, Chung M. Changes in COVID-19 vaccination receipt and intention to vaccinate by socioeconomic characteristics and geographic area, United States, January 6 - March 29, 2021. Ann Med. 2021;53:1419-28.

  7. Viswanath K, Bekalu M, Dhawan D, Pinnamaneni R, Lang J, McLoud R. Individual and social determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake. BMC Public Health 2021;21:818.

  8. Lin C, Tu P, Beitsch LM. Confidence and receptivity for COVID-19 vaccines: a rapid systematic review. Vaccines 2020;9:16.

  9. Nomura S, Eguchi A, Yoneoka D, et al. Reasons for being unsure or unwilling regarding intention to take COVID-19 vaccine among Japanese people: A large cross-sectional national survey. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2021;14:100223.

  10. Wu B. Social isolation and loneliness among older adults in the context of COVID-19: a global challenge. Glob Health Res Policy. 2020;5:27.

  11. Jaspal R, Breakwell GM. Social support, perceived risk and the likelihood of COVID-19 testing and vaccination: cross-sectional data from the United Kingdom. Curr Psychol. 2022;41:492-504.

  12. Stickley A, Matsubayashi T, Ueda M. Loneliness and COVID-19 preventive behaviours among Japanese adults. J Public Health. 2021;43:53-60.

  13. Hajek A, König H. H. Does loneliness predict subsequent use of flu vaccination? Findings from a nationally representative study of older adults in Germany. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16:4978.

  14. Petersen J, Kaye J, Jacobs PG, et al. Longitudinal relationship between loneliness and social isolation in older adults: results from the cardiovascular health study. J Aging Health 2016;28:775-95.

  15. Kogame T, Ogawa Y, Kabashima K, Yamamoto Y. At-risk circumstances for COVID-19 increase the risk of pruritus: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology: JEADV 2022;36:e174-e5.

  16. Nippon Research Center. https://www.nrc.co.jp/english/index.html. Accessed 6 Nov 2022.

  17. Population and households of Japan 2015. Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/2015/poj/mokuji.html. Accessed 30 Mar 2023.

  18. Kurimoto A, Awata S, Ohkubo T, et al. Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the abbreviated Lubben Social Network Scale [in Japanese]. Nihon Ronen Igakkai zasshi Japanese Journal of Geriatrics 2011;48:149-57.

  19. Lubben J, Blozik E, Gillmann G, et al. Performance of an Abbreviated Version of the Lubben Social Network Scale Among Three European Community-Dwelling Older Adult Populations. Gerontologist 2006;46:503-13.

  20. Science Brief: Evidence Used to Update the List of Underlying Medical Conditions Associated with Higher Risk for Severe COVID-19. 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/underlying-evidence-table.html. Accessed 6 Nov 2022.

  21. Zou G, Donner AJSmimr. Extension of the modified Poisson regression model to prospective studies with correlated binary data. Stat Methods Med Res 2013;22:661-70.

  22. Cesari M, Vellas B. Older persons “Lost” to the COVID-19 vaccination: where are they? J Frailty Aging 2021:308–9.

  23. Neumann-Böhme S, Varghese NE, Sabat I, et al. Once we have it, will we use it? A European survey on willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The European Journal of Health Economics : HEPAC : Health Economics in Prevention and Care 2020;21:977-82.

  24. Bertin P, Nera K, Delouvée S. Conspiracy Beliefs, Rejection of Vaccination, and Support for hydroxychloroquine: A Conceptual Replication-Extension in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context. Front Psychol. 2020;11:565128.

  25. Nguyen KH, Chen S, Morris K, Chui K, Allen JD. Mental health symptoms and association with COVID-19 vaccination receipt and intention to vaccinate among adults, United States. Prev Med. 2022;154:106905.

  26. Hajek A, Bock J-O, König H-H. The use of routine health check-ups and psychological factors—a neglected link. Evidence from a population-based study. J Public Health 2018;26:137–44.

  27. WHO Guidelines Approved by the Guidelines Review Committee. Integrated Care for Older People: Guidelines on Community-Level Interventions to Manage Declines in Intrinsic Capacity. Geneva: World Health Organization Copyright © World Health Organization 2017; 2017.

  28. Papagiannis D, Malli F, Gourgoulianis KI. Registry Systems for COVID-19 Vaccines and Rate of Acceptability for Vaccination Before and After Availability of Vaccines in 12 Countries: A Narrative Review. Infect Dis Rep. 2022;14:121-33.

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for the English language editing.

Funding

This research was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Numbers 20K10376 and 17K15744).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Yoshie Yamada MD, Yusuke Ogawa PHD, Yoshinori Matsuoka PHD & Yosuke Yamamoto PHD

  2. Institute for Health Outcomes & Process Evaluation Research (iHope International), Kyoto, Japan

    Sayaka Shimizu PHD

  3. Section of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Community Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Sayaka Shimizu PHD

  4. Department of Emergency Medicine, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Hyogo, Japan

    Yoshinori Matsuoka PHD

Authors
  1. Yoshie Yamada MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yusuke Ogawa PHD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sayaka Shimizu PHD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yoshinori Matsuoka PHD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yosuke Yamamoto PHD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Y. Yamada had full access to all the data in the present study and takes full responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Y. Yamada, SS, and Y. Yamamoto conceptualized and designed the study. Y. Yamada, SS, and Y. Yamamoto acquired, analyzed, and interpreted the data. Y. Yamada and Y. Yamamoto were major contributors to drafting the manuscript. Y. Yamada, SS, YM, YO, and Y. Yamamoto revised the manuscript accordingly. Y. Yamamoto supervised this study. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yosuke Yamamoto PHD.

Ethics declarations

Ethics Approval and Consent for Participation

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Kyoto University (approval number: R2319).

Consent for Publication

Not applicable.

Competing Interests

Y. Yamamoto has received personal fees from Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, Toray Medical Co., Ltd.,Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd., and Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., outside the submitted work. The other authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Prior Presentation None.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 43 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yamada, Y., Ogawa, Y., Shimizu, S. et al. Longitudinal Association Between Social Isolation and COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Japanese Older Citizen: an Observational Study. J GEN INTERN MED 38, 2775–2781 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08286-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08286-1

KEY WORDS

Search

Navigation