NCT07123064

Alleviating Loneliness in Older Adults Living in Poverty: A Multi-level Intervention

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1,344 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Education University of Hong Kong · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The study aims to reduce loneliness among Hong Kong Chinese older adults living in poverty with a multi-level intervention involving components at the individual, interpersonal, and community levels.

Detailed description

Loneliness is widespread, with negative impacts on both individuals and society and associated direct and indirect healthcare and long-term care costs. Thus, it is imperative to alleviate loneliness in old age by implementing effective, accessible, affordable, and scalable interventions. Loneliness is often erroneously considered an individual problem due to personal failure. Still, growing evidence indicates that loneliness is caused by factors at multiple levels, including the individual, interpersonal, and community levels. Hence, a multi-level approach is recommended to alleviate loneliness. However, multi-level interventions for reducing loneliness are in their infancy, and there is yet to be evidence to suggest that they are more effective than single-level interventions. The investigators will conduct an innovative and impactful study to fill this important research gap. This study is a single-blinded cluster, four-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to test the effect and cost-effectiveness of a multi-level intervention to alleviate loneliness among Hong Kong Chinese older adults living in poverty. The investigators will also adopt the modified biopsychosocial (BPS) model, called the BPS-Pathways model, as the theoretical framework to guide our selection of interventions, mediators, secondary outcomes, long-term outcomes, and impact.

Conditions

• Loneliness
• Poverty

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Individual Level	A 8-weekly, 1hour telephone-delivered sessions using mindfulness and SOLUS-D program. Key contents include: introduction to mindfulness - Body awareness and present moment experiences, emotional awareness and mind-body labeling, relaxation techniques and sensory discrimination, deepening awareness and accepting feelings, personal values, interconnection between thought patterns and emotions, identifying and analyzing of thought traps, and challenging thoughts and future planning. Maintenance sessions which focus on embedding mindfulness practices and SOLUS-D program among older adults as a persistent habit will be conducted.
BEHAVIORAL	Interpersonal Level	A 8 weekly, 1hr sessions through telephone or Zoom using the Group 4 Health. Key contents include: understanding the benefits of social connections, exploring self and community, community and action, support and breakthrough, summary and moving forward. Maintenance sessions which focus on continuous practice of support and community will be conducted.
BEHAVIORAL	Community Level	A 4 weekly, 2hour in-person sessions through (1) strengthening collective efficacy via neighbor identification with the community. Key contents include: building neighbourhood connections, getting to know each other, health aging, neighbourhood care, vibrant exploration, thriving community, connecting the dots.
OTHER	Education Control	Monthly monthly messages via text, graphics or voice recordings will be sent over a period of 6 months. Key content includes: healthy diet tips, recognizing warning signs of health, understanding dementia, fall prevention tips, health message, and anti-fraud tips.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-04-01
• Primary completion: 2029-05-31
• Completion: 2029-05-31
• First posted: 2025-08-14
• Last updated: 2026-02-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Hong Kong