Evidence base
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Loneliness, Lack of Social and Emotional Support, and Mental Health Issues -- United States, 2022
What it found
This CDC MMWR report presents federal surveillance estimates of loneliness and lack of social and emotional support among U.S. adults, drawn from 2022 survey data (published June 2024). It links social disconnection to a range of health outcomes, including heart disease, stroke, dementia, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, and premature mortality.
Why it matters for practice
This is a national baseline for prevalence, not a causal or intervention study — use it to size the problem or justify a programme's rationale, not to select what to do about it. Note the two-year lag between data collection and publication when comparing against more recent local figures.