Objective  To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of loneliness among community elderly males to provide evidences for improving the quality of life of the elderly population.

  Methods  We recruited 1 684 male permanent residents aged ≥ 75 years living in communities covered by 10 community health service centers in Tangshan city for household face-to-face interviews with Loneliness Scale, University of California at Los Angels (UCLA). The influencing factors of loneliness were analyzed with chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis.

  Results  Of the 1 602 valid respondents at the ages of 75 – 98 (mean = 80.12 ± 4.739) years, 1 081 (67.5%) were assessed as having loneliness. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that harmonious relationship with children (odds ratio OR = 0.050) and talking to others when having trouble (OR = 0.266) were significant protective factors against loneliness; while, being unable to face life positively (OR = 4.541), rarely communicating with children (OR = 3.532), never having a personal opinion been taken by others (OR = 4.636), and perceived insignificance in the family (OR = 3.251) were significant risk factors for loneliness (P < 0.05 for all).

  Conclusion  Loneliness is prevalent among community eldest elderly males in urban regions of Tangshan city, suggesting that special concerns should be paid to both physical and mental health among elderly community residents.