Have you ever wondered if feeling lonely could be as harmful to your health as high blood pressure or high cholesterol? As the festive season approaches, the importance of this question becomes particularly poignant for those who find themselves less connected. For Dr. Rosanne Freak-Poli, a senior research fellow at Monash Health, this inquiry has been at the heart of over a decade of research exploring the impact of social lives on our health and wellbeing.
Dr. Freak-Poli has recently been awarded a $530,079 ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) to transform her research into actionable solutions. Her project, “Enhancing Social Prescribing,” aims to embed social prescribing into Australia’s health and social systems, recognizing connection and community as essential components of care rather than optional extras.
Understanding Social Prescribing
Social prescribing is a practice that helps clinicians connect individuals with non-medical community supports such as walking groups, arts programs, language classes, or volunteering opportunities. The goal is to enhance wellbeing and quality of life by fostering social connections and a sense of purpose. Dr. Freak-Poli’s DECRA project will co-design data and infrastructure to identify effective social prescribing methods for diverse populations and settings, ensuring its long-term adoption and evaluation.
The Complexity of Loneliness
It is often tempting to view loneliness as a simple issue of “getting out more.” However, Dr. Freak-Poli’s research reveals a more complex picture, especially during festive periods when social expectations heighten the divide between the connected and the isolated.
Her studies have linked social isolation, low social support, and loneliness to severe risk factors for chronic diseases, diminished quality of life, increased cardiovascular disease and dementia risk, and poorer mental health during heart problem recovery. Those most at risk include individuals who are widowed, live alone, or have undergone significant life changes, despite their efforts to stay connected.
“Social conditions such as living arrangements, social networks, income, education, language, and recent stressors can be stronger predictors of heart disease than traditional biological factors,” Dr. Freak-Poli notes.
A New Approach to Health Risks
Dr. Freak-Poli’s advanced computer modeling on large population datasets underscores the need for health systems to seriously consider social determinants when assessing risks and planning care. Her findings suggest that men and women may experience these factors differently, emphasizing the necessity for systemic change to facilitate connection.
“We have effective tools for treating blood pressure and cholesterol,” she explains, “but we are only beginning to develop similar tools for social connection. Social prescribing stands out as a promising option.”
In the United Kingdom, social prescribing is already integrated into the universal healthcare system. Australia, however, is just beginning this journey, presenting a unique opportunity to shape its design and delivery. Dr. Freak-Poli emphasizes the importance of a co-designed minimum dataset and robust data infrastructure to support this initiative over time.
The Broader Perspective
Dr. Freak-Poli’s career as a life-course epidemiologist is marked by a commitment to social justice and prevention. Her work spans from research design to the translation of findings into guidelines, policy, and practice. Her PhD research on workplace physical activity informed clinical guidelines and policy, while her NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowship in the Netherlands challenged assumptions about happiness and heart disease.
Her recent focus on social isolation and loneliness has established her as a leading authority in the field, with her work influencing major policy documents from organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations.
“Ignoring social connection and conditions misses a significant part of why people become unwell and how they recover,” she asserts.
The Future of Social Prescribing in Australia
The ASPIRE Social Prescribing initiative (Australian Social Prescribing Institute of Research and Education) is a national collaboration aimed at advancing evidence-based social prescribing across Australia. It brings together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, community organizations, and individuals with lived experience to enhance models, data, workforce development, and equity in social prescribing.
ASPIRE’s mission is to build a coordinated, scalable, and culturally responsive social prescribing ecosystem that integrates community supports with the health and social care sectors. As Australia embarks on this journey, the potential to reshape healthcare by valuing social connections is immense, promising a more holistic approach to health and wellbeing.
