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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is assumed to have caused an increase in the number of socially isolated people. However, the prevalence of social isolation during the pandemic has not been well studied, particularly among Asian populations. This study investigated changes in the prevalence of social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and examined its association with mental health among the general Japanese population. Data were obtained from a large-scale, web-based nationwide survey conducted from August to September 2020 (n = 28,000; aged 15–79 years). Social isolation was defined as less frequent contact with people other than co-residing family members. We assessed the participants’ frequency of contact in January (before the pandemic) and August 2020 (during the pandemic). Mental health outcomes included psychological distress, suicidal ideation, loneliness, and fear of COVID-19. We analyzed the data of 25,482 respondents. The weighted prevalence (95% confidence interval) of social isolation was 21.2% (20.7–21.7%) and 27.9% (27.3–28.4%) before and during the pandemic, respectively. The prevalence of social isolation increased by 6.7 (6.3–7.0) percentage points during the pandemic. Older people and men had the greatest increase in the prevalence of social isolation. People who became socially isolated during the pandemic had greater loneliness and fear of COVID-19 than those who were consistently not socially isolated since before the pandemic. This study suggested that social isolation had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Our findings highlight the importance of developing immediate measures against social isolation to maintain good mental health.

Given the cost-effective nature of promoting desirable behaviors among individuals and societies, national and local governments have widely applied the nudge concept in various public policy fields. This viewpoint briefly explains the concept of nudge and presents the trend of nudge application in public health policy with illustrative examples. While most academic evidence on its effectiveness has been derived from Western countries, there is a significant accumulation of cases of nudge practices in non-Western countries, including the Western Pacific nations. This viewpoint also provides tips for designing nudge interventions. We introduce a simple, three-step procedure for this purpose: (1) identify target behavior, (2) determine friction and fuel of the behavior, and (3) design and implement a nudge—as well as the behavioral process map and the EAST framework.

Over the last several decades, social isolation and loneliness among older adults have posed an increasingly urgent challenge due to the rapidly aging population in Japan. To remedy the situation, many communities have introduced intergenerational programs. However, few studies have investigated the benefits of social capital across generations as a result of intergenerational interaction between children and older generations. Therefore, we aim to ascertain the degree to which intergenerational programs that take root in a community will affect the social capital of all generations in the community. We focus our research on one specific program, REPRINTS, an intergenerational health promotion program for older adults that has been active for over 10 years in Tama Ward, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of residents between the ages of 20 and 84 years who were randomly selected from the basic resident register. Approximately 2500 residents were selected, of which 978 responded; data from 891 respondents were analyzed. Hierarchical linear modeling suggests that the duration of programs was a significant community-level indicator of neighborhood trust. At the individual level, people between 30 and 59 years of age and people over 60 years of age have more positive effects on neighborhood trust than do people between 20 and 39 years of age. The ongoing intergenerational programs between older citizens and children can enforce neighborhood trust, thus strengthening a community’s intergenerational ties. The REPRINTS program has been developed through cooperation with local citizens, senior volunteers, and teachers from the community. Its collaborative nature ensures longevity and continuous growth in a community. It is challenging to create long-term intergenerational programs that take root in communities, making persistence and collaboration a crucial factor in fruitful intergenerational relationships. Overall, ongoing intergenerational program implementation associates with building social capital, thereby strengthening potential intergenerational ties and promote mutual support among local residents which will reduce or prevent social isolation among older.