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Background: Prevalence of loneliness among Canadians has become an important concern because of its wider consequences on health and well-being. However, there are limited Canadian studies about loneliness disaggregated by gender and across various subgroups of older Canadians, particularly immigrant subgroups., Data and Methods: Data from the Canadian Health Survey on Seniors (CHSS) - 2019/2020 were used to estimate the prevalence of loneliness among older Canadians in a nationally representative sample of 38,941 Canadians aged 65 and older. The association between immigrant status and loneliness was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic and health characteristics. Analyses were conducted for men and women combined and separately., Results: In 2019/2020, an estimated 1.1 million older Canadians (19.2%) experienced loneliness, with women having significantly higher likelihood of being lonely than men. Among men, both European and non-European immigrants were more likely to experience loneliness than the Canadian-born population. Among women, the likelihood of loneliness was higher among European immigrants than among those born in Canada. For both men and women, immigrants who migrated as adults (from ages 18 to 44) and long-term immigrants (20 years or more in Canada since immigration) were at higher risk of loneliness than the Canadian-born population. The likelihood of being lonely was higher among people living with multimorbidity or experiencing barriers to social participation., Interpretation: The findings underscore the importance of considering immigrant subgroups and gender in examining loneliness among older Canadians and when developing policies and programs to address loneliness.

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI), a prevalent condition among seniors, can have substantial impacts on quality of life., Data and Methods: Data from the 2008/2009 Canadian Community Health Survey-Healthy Aging were used to examine the prevalence of UI, as well as the relationship between UI and loneliness in a sample of 16,369 people aged 65 or older. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify significant relationships, while adjusting for potential confounders., Results: In 2008/2009, an estimated 512,000 seniors reported that they experienced UI. Women were more likely than men to have this complaint (14% versus 9%), as were older seniors. Those with UI were significantly more likely to be lonely than were those without the condition (OR=1.8, 95% CI: 1.5 to 2.0). This association persisted when socio-demographic, social and functional health factors were taken into account (OR=1.5, 95% CI: 1.3 to 1.7)., Interpretation: This study highlights the prevalence of UI among Canadian seniors and its correlation with loneliness, which, itself, is associated with negative health outcomes. Further research is needed to establish exactly how UI has an impact on seniors' feelings of loneliness.

Background Social participation has been associated with health and well-being in older adults. Data and methods Data from the 2008/2009 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)-Healthy Aging were used to examine the relationship between frequent social participation and self-perceived health, loneliness and life dissatisfaction in a sample of 16,369 people aged 65 or older. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify significant relationships, while adjusting for potential confounders. The mediating role of social support and the prevalence of reported barriers to greater social participation were also examined. Results An estimated 80% of seniors were frequent participants in at least one social activity. As the number of different types of frequent social activities increased, so did the strength of associations between social participation and positive self-perceived health, loneliness, and life dissatisfaction. The associations generally remained significant, but were attenuated by individual social support dimensions. The desire to be more involved in social activities was reported by 21% of senior men and 27% of senior women. Interpretation Social participation is an important correlate of health and well-being in older adults. It may be that social support gained through social contacts is as important in these associations as the number of activities in which one participates frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With data from the 2009 Canadian Community Health Survey--Healthy Aging Cognition Module, five cognitive functioning categories based on normative values that adjust for age, sex and education were created. The two lowest categories were combined to identify seniors (65 or older) without Alzheimer's disease or dementia living in private households, who had low scores on four cognitive tasks: first recall, second recall, semantic fluency, and processing speed. Low income, not living with a spouse or partner, and diabetes were associated with low scores on each task. Heart disease, impairment in instrumental and daily activities, receiving home care, social participation, loneliness, and self-perceived general and mental health were also associated with low cognitive performance, although the associations differed by cognitive task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]