[The importance of social relationships as a mechanism to improve the health and quality of life of the elderly, from an interdisciplinary perspective].

INTRODUCTION: This study presents an analysis on the effects of positive social relationships as determining factors on the health status of the elderly, from an interdisciplinary point of view.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was carried out on a total of 2,332 subjects in the province of Toledo, Spain, using several scales related to the study objectives. For the multivariable analysis of the data, the linear regression, along with goodness of fit, as well as the tests of Cox, Snell and R-squared of Nagelkerke, were calculated to determine the correlation between the networks and the social contacts with the health.
RESULTS: Good social relationships result in better health, because they allow us to feel good and add life to the years. The size of the social network, and the frequency of contacts, although decreasing with age, become vitally important at this stage of life. All these factors constitute stimuli to improve the perception of health, to provide social support in activities of daily living, as well as for instrumental or disease management.
CONCLUSIONS: The main outcome of this study is that positive social relationships can be considered as a determining factor in the health of the elderly, but not all these interactions influence the same extent. The factor of the human relationship in terms of emotional proximity, together with the frequency or quantity of these encounters, are also correlated with health, due to the emotional impact they imply.