Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Covid: Loneliness a 'bigger health risk than smoking or obesity'

Covid: Loneliness a 'bigger health risk than smoking or obesity'

NHS prescriptions for gardening and dancing are "vitally needed" to help tackle rising levels of loneliness after lockdown, people suffering from isolation have said.

Social prescribing has been included in the Welsh government's list of priorities for the next five years.

A Mind Cymru pilot project is looking into its impact on mental health.

One woman who felt isolated in lockdown said loneliness was now a bigger health risk than smoking or obesity.

Alice Gray, a 29-year-old science communicator and producer from Cardiff who struggled with loneliness during lockdown, said social prescribing was "vitally needed".

She added that loneliness could often be stereotyped as affecting older people, but she spent long periods in isolation during the pandemic, even spending the last birthday of her 20s alone because of social distancing rules.

Celebrating the last birthday of her twenties alone, Alice missed her friends and family

"Loneliness is a widespread problem, even prior to pandemic," she said.

"It's not only incredibly isolating, but it's very stigmatised and often associated with the older generation - despite more young people struggling with loneliness. Three times as many young people deal with loneliness compared to older people."

After spending many months entirely on her own, Ms Gray said she would personally benefit from something that would "enable me to get on a path out of loneliness".

"But also, as a neuroscientist, I think people underestimate the impact loneliness has on our brain and health - with lonely people being more than twice as likely to have mental health issues and loneliness is considered a bigger health risk now than smoking or obesity.

"I think having access to a service like that [social prescribing] could have impacts on the mental and physical health of people on a personal level, as well as on a broader level."

What is social prescribing?


Social prescribing creates a formal way for primary care services such as GPs to refer patients to a variety of non-clinical services.

It is sometimes referred to as a community referral and often involves a link worker called a social prescriber, who helps design a package of services or activities.

These can include gardening clubs, dance sessions or even just group chats.

Pre-pandemic, the Royal College of General Practitioners Wales called for all practices to have their own social prescriber in a bid to tackle GPs' workload, and "free up their time for those patients most in need of medical care".

In its loneliness action plan it said: "Loneliness and social isolation can be as bad for patients as chronic long-term conditions.

"Loneliness puts people at a 50% increased risk of an early death.

"It can be hard for people who are lonely to know where to turn for support. That's why we want to see a dedicated professional for every GP surgery, a 'social prescriber' so that people who are lonely or are at risk are supported to make the right connections."

Nick from Ystradgynlais, Powys, said social prescribing helped him after a mental health crisis.

"Social prescribing is a way of helping people deal with the things in their lives that can make them feel unhappy or anxious.

"Addressing these things takes a little extra time and support, so social prescribing helps you find lots of different activities and support in your local community that can help you turn things around. I was referred to a number of different activities that have helped me."

He added the experience helped him make new friends and "allowed me to come out of my shell".

Covid and social prescribing
Covid has stopped many forms of community activity, but groups can now meet outside

Loneliness spiralled during the pandemic, particularly as a result of lockdown, with people forced to stay away from family, friends and unable to meet new people.

According to Mind Cymru, social prescribing has been adapted to help those with mental health problems over the phone or online, providing support and strategies to help.

The easing of restrictions to include outdoor meetings for organised groups has also allowed many activities to restart.

It seems social prescribing is being taken seriously at government level as well as in the third sector, with First Minister Mark Drakeford including it in his 17-page plan for what he wants to achieve in the next five years.

He plans to introduce an all-Wales framework to roll out social prescribing to tackle isolation.

"Social prescribing solutions to mental health are quickly becoming more and more viable, as well as being assigned by increasing numbers of GPs and charitable organisations gaining more funding the possibilities for recovery and healing through social prescribing are near endless," he said in the document.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
×