Approved Minutes of October 29, 2025

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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH October 29, 2025 Vill. Educational Sessions A. Social Connectedness and Loneliness Ben Bruster, former Public Health Intern, presented on social connectedness, loneliness, and the impact of third spaces in Orange County. Some highlights of his presentation are below: • While social isolation and loneliness are often conflated, they have some subtle differences; social isolation is more objective and is marked by having few social relationships and infrequent social interaction, while loneliness is more subjective and is marked by perceived isolation or perceived lack of meaningful connections. • "Third Spaces" are places outside of home (first place) and work (second place) where people gather to primarily enjoy each other's company. Communities with more third spaces (e.g., parks, community centers, green spaces, churches) are healthier than communities with fewer third spaces. • As technology and delivery services advance, it is increasingly easy for people to stay at home. There are some benefits to the increased ability to connect online, particularly for those who may have disabilities, but nothing can replace in-person connection. • Social isolation does not exclusively affect older adults and in fact impacts people of all ages and demographics. Loneliness has tangible physical consequences, including higher rates of cancer, heart disease, depression/anxiety, and increased premature mortality. Loneliness and social isolation also negatively impact the community— it is harder for individuals to contribute to community well-being when they are isolated or lonely, and providing care and support for people dealing with the physical effects of loneliness and social isolation can be costly to a community. • In Orange County, the estimated prevalence of loneliness for adults is 29.4%, while the estimated prevalence of social isolation in adults is 19.1%. Some risk factors for social isolation and loneliness include lack of reliable transport, being in the 18-24 age group, and being of certain minority races, such as Black, due to racism. • Mr. Bruster suggested some ideas for ways to innovate and help get people out of their homes, including partnering with local chambers of commerce and/or Triangle on the Cheap. He also suggested generally spreading awareness of social isolation and third spaces as well as trying to decrease barriers such as lack of reliable transportation. • In response to Commissioner Fowler's question, Mr. Bruster explained that the measure for loneliness/isolation that he used was based off CDC's "Places" data, which is census-tract level estimates for forty different health metrics, including social isolation and loneliness, drawn from responses to the behavioral risk factor surveillance system (BRFSS). He added that this data is limited to only people 18 years of age or older, which means that youth under 18 may have different challenges or worse outcomes. He clarified that the measure used is based on people's perceived experiences of social isolation and loneliness, rather than an objective count of interactions in a certain period. Dr. Royce pulled up and read the specific survey item: "How often do you feel lonely— always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never." • Commissioner Fowler noted that the Board has observed that screen time may be a contributing factor to perceived social isolation and wondered if young people in the 18- 24 group may be spending more time on their phones and less connecting in person. She also observed that this age can be a time of great change in a person's life and that itself may lead to young people feeling unmoored and isolated even if they objectively are still experiencing healthy levels of social connection. S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2025 Agenda and Abstracts\ October Page 4