Effect evaluation of a two-year complex intervention to reduce loneliness in non-institutionalised elderly Dutch people

Table 4 Effect evaluation of intermediate and long-term outcomes: mean change (sd) scores social support and loneliness and regression coefficients for the comparison of the intervention (n = 440) versus the control group (n = 418) and participants who were familiar (n = 172) versus participants who are not familiar (n = 268) with Healthy Ageing

Intermediate and long-term outcomes	Mean change (SD) in comparison groups		Effect estimates
Intermediate and long-term outcomes	Mean change (SD) in comparison groups		Crude effect^a	Age-and gender adjusted^b(p-value)	Final model^c(p-value)	Relative effect size^d% (95% CI)
Intervention/control	Intervention	Control
Total social support	1.18 (5.10)	1.00 (5.61)	0.18	0.18 (0.63)	0.20 (0.59)	0.71 (−1.9; 3.3)
Everyday social support	0.16 (1.73)	0.32 (1.75)	−0.16	−0.17 (0.16)	−0.14 (0.26)	−1.4 (−3.6; 1.0)
Support in problem situations	0.67 (2.49)	0.53 (2.69)	0.14	0.14 (0.42)	0.13 (0.46)	1.5 (−2.5; 5.6)
Esteem support	0.34 (2.18)	0.15 (2.25)	0.20	0.20 (0.20)	0.20 (0.20)	2.2 (−1.1; 5.5)
Loneliness	0.05 (2.43)	0.11 (2.43)	−0.07	−0.05 (0.75)	−0.07 (0.67)	−2.2 (−12,0; 7.7)
Intervention only	Familiar	Not familiar
Total social support	1.18 (4.44)	1.17 (5.48)	0.01	−0.05 (0.93)	−0.07 (0.90)	−0.25 (−4.0; 3.5)
Everyday social support	0.13 (1.63)	0.18 (1.80)	0.05	−0.08 (0.65)	−0.02 (0.91)	−0.19 (−3.8; 3.3)
Support in problem situations	0.75 (2.14)	0.61 (2.69)	0.14	0.14 (0.57)	0.05 (0.85)	0.58 (−5.4; 6.6)
Esteem support	0.29 (2.22)	0.38 (2.16)	0.08	−0.12 (0.58)	−0.12 (0.60)	−1.29 (−6.2; 0.33)
Loneliness	0.24 (2.49)	0.08 (2.38)	−0.33	0.34 (0.18)	0.23 (0.39)	8.0 (−9.9; 25.6)

*significant at p < 0.05.
^aDifference between mean change in intervention as compared to control group; or difference between mean change among participants who were familiar as compared to not familiar with Healthy Ageing.
^bMultivariate model for the comparison intervention versus control, and for the comparison familiar versus not familiar, adjusted for age and gender.
^cMultivariate model for the comparison intervention versus control additionally included church attendance and mental health. The model comparing familiar versus not familiar additionally included marital status, education, church attendance, and doing voluntary work.
^dEffect measure obtained from final model relative to the baseline score for loneliness and social support in the intervention community.

ISSN: 1471-2458