Research project Loneliness among older adults is described as a public health problem, as it is considered to be associated with both increased morbidity and mortality. Being socially active and involved has, in previous studies, been shown to be important for reducing loneliness and improving well-being.
This project has been inspired by an initiative from England, Social Prescribing, an approach that enables healthcare professionals at primary care centers to connect and support clients in participating in social activities within the local community. The project addresses loneliness among older adults and aims to develop a Swedish model, and to implement and evaluate it for the first time in a Swedish context. In our project, we refer to the Swedish version as SaR, Social Activity on Prescription.
Social Activity on Prescription is an innovative health-promoting intervention that aligns well with the fundamental strategies for active ageing and is fully consistent with current proposals for transforming primary care into a more integrated and accessible system, emphasizing strengthened collaboration between municipalities and regions. Social Activity on Prescription is also strongly linked to person-centered care, facilitating social participation and engagement in meaningful activities, while addressing the need for early interventions and enabling the development of an entirely new collaborative structure within the welfare system. In this project, we collaborate with primary care services and municipalities.
The aim of the project is to develop, implement, and evaluate a Swedish model for Social Activity on Prescription. The overall goal is to reduce loneliness and improve health and well-being among older adults.
The development of a Swedish model for Social Activity on Prescription has been carried out through workshops with primary care services, with inspiration from and collaboration with municipalities. The model is then tested and evaluated, both in the short term and in the long term, in terms of its impact on physical, mental, and social health.
The project includes a feasibility study as well as a realist evaluation that combines different methods to answer the questions of what works, for whom, in which contexts, and why, alongside a randomized controlled trial to examine effects in relation to a control group. Through this project, knowledge will be developed about how Social Activity on Prescription can be used in a Swedish context to reduce loneliness and improve health and well-being among older adults.
Publications
Johansson, E., Jonsson, F., Rapo, E. et al. (2021). Let’s try social prescribing in Sweden (SPiS) – an interventional project targeting loneliness among older adults using a model for integrated care: a research protocol, International Journal of Integrated Care, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.5609
Johansson, E., Rapo, E., Nilsson, I. (2021). Can an ecological-transactional systems model in occupational therapy contribute to a social prescribing programme?, Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy, 49(2), 115–118. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOT-12-2020-0021
Rapo, E., Johansson, E., Jonsson, F. et al. (2022). Critical components of social prescribing programmes for older adults – A systematic review, Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 41(3), 326–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2023.2237078
Degerstedt, F., Rapo, E., Viklund, E. et al. (2024). Prerequisites for social prescribing in Sweden – Stakeholders’ perspectives, Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 43(4), 776–785. https://doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2025.2507272
Jonsson, F., Viklund, E., Lundgren, A. S. et al. (2026). Unpacking the early implementation of social prescribing in Swedish primary care: a theory informed process evaluation, Health Promotion International, 41(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daag041
Viklund E.W.E., Degerstedt, F., Jonsson, F., Lundgren A.S., Nilsson, I. (2026). Occupational Therapists as Social Prescribers: Insights from Swedish Primary Care. Accepted for publication in Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy.
