Why National Health Data Should Track Loneliness
What gets measured gets attention. That is why, in September 2026, I submitted a public comment to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics on the redesign of the National Health Interview Survey.
The survey is one of the main ways the country tracks the health of Americans. The redesign for 2028 is a chance to decide what gets counted.
My comment made two recommendations. First, keep the survey’s question about how often people feel lonely. It is one of the few national measures of loneliness we have. Second, keep the questions about receiving help at home, and add a way to tell whether that help comes from paid caregivers, family, or both.
Together, those changes would let researchers see something we cannot see today: how loneliness differs for older adults depending on who cares for them at home. That is the question at the center of my research.
Public comments are part of the public record for Docket No. CDC-2026-1387.
About the author
Dustin Prestridge
Dustin is the founder of visits.care. His work looks at how caregivers and older adults connect during home care visits, and how that connection affects loneliness and isolation. He has written for the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging.
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