Can walking groups help with social isolation: a qualitative study

In affluent areas, issues such as social isolation and mental health are often over-looked, neglected and stigmatised, especially in the elderly.

This study aimed to test the feasibility of a weekly walking group to reduce loneliness within the community and to identify participants' motivations and reasons for taking part.

The intervention was a 1-h lunch time walk along the River Thames. Searches for 'isolated' and 'lonely' were conducted in one general practice's medical records, to identify high-risk patients that would benefit most, and these patients contacted directly. Additionally, posters advertising the walk were placed around the waiting room and clinical areas.

The activity ran for 2 weeks and was attended by 12 participants. The walks were well received, however participants were attending for exercise rather than to meet new people and socialise as originally intended.

The pilots results seem to indicate that walking is generally associated with improved physical health rather than mental health in patients and that less physically involved methods may be more appropriate for reducing isolation. However, the study highlights the important factors that need to be considered when organising an intervention in primary care, namely stressing the purpose and recruitment.