By Lilo Stainton, October 7< 2019 Health Care
Study, published today, focuses on residents of Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties
South Jersey residents who feel socially isolated are twice as likely to experience heart disease as those who are more connected to their community, three times more likely to report mental health issues and four times more likely to misuse drugs, according to new research from Rutgers University in Camden.
The findings are part of a report by the university’s Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs, which highlights how personal connections to people and place affect an individual’s physical and mental health.
While academics have traditionally focused on social isolation among the elderly, the Rand study found that in South Jersey, it’s young people who are more likely to be lonely. According to its findings, millennial residents are 50% more likely to say they feel alone than their elders, and twice as likely to report they face mental and physical health challenges.
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