The paper “Present and Future Measures to Address Health Disparities”, which I co-authored with Professor Naoki Kondo during my time at Kyoto University, has been published in the special issue of Japanese Psychological Review entitled “Understanding and Connecting Social Isolation and Loneliness in Depth and Breadth.”
In this article, we reexamined the impact of social isolation and loneliness on people’s health from a social epidemiological perspective. We argued that isolation and loneliness are not merely individual issues but can function as “social determinants of health,” potentially widening health disparities.
The paper also reviews conventional measures to reduce health disparities and highlights the potential of new approaches using machine learning. By identifying subgroups within populations and tailoring interventions to their specific characteristics, these methods may deliver support more effectively.
We further emphasize that reducing the health risks associated with social isolation and loneliness requires both the utilization of existing evidence and the accumulation of new data. To achieve this, we propose the development of integrated databases that combine medical, welfare, and living environment information, which will be indispensable for shaping future health policies.
