Heterogeneous Associations Between Frequent Virtual Communication and Loneliness Among Older Adults: Observational Analysis

Daisuke Kato   ^{1, 2, 3, 4} , MD, PhD ;   Ichiro Kawachi   ⁵ , MBChB, PhD ;   Katsunori Kondo   ^{2, 6} , MD, PhD ;   Atsushi Nakagomi   ² , MD, PhD ;   Koichiro Shiba   ⁷ , PhD

¹ Takemi Program in International Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States

² Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Chiba, Japan

³ Section of Global Health and Preventive Medicine, Institute of Global Well-being Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan

⁴ Department of Social Medicine and Behavioral Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Division of Health Sciences, The University of Osaka, Suita, Osaka, Japan

⁵ Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States

⁶ Research Department, Institute for Health Economics and Policy, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan

⁷ Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States