Policy Brief: Key Informant Perspectives on Rural Social Isolation and Loneliness

Social isolation has received widespread recognition as an urgent public health problem, yet limited information specific to rural areas is available on this issue, making it difficult to design effective interventions to address isolation among rural residents. This policy brief uses data from interviews with 22 key informants in 12 states, all of whom were experts in the issue of social isolation and/or rural health, to describe key challenges and opportunities related to rural social isolation.