Older people with more friends do better at preventive health: Study

The study offers fresh evidence that the quality and quantity of close social relationships, and shifts in these relationships over time, may influence how much people focus on preventive health

Older adults with bigger social networks of family members and close friends may be better at staying on top of recommended preventive health screenings and checkups than their more isolated peers, a UK study suggests.

Researchers surveyed 5,362 adults born in 1946 in England, Scotland and Wales about their social relationships 24 times over several decades, until they were aged 68 to 69 years. Participants also reported how often they engaged in recommended preventive health activities like routine checkups, immunisations, vision and dental exams, blood pressure and cholesterol assessments and cancer screenings.

By the time they were 68 to 69 years old,