SALSA (Health, Food and Sociability): Community Networks for Healthy Eating, Autonomy, and Social Interaction

Antecedents: Unwanted loneliness is associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, social isolation, and malnutrition. The SALSA project aims to establish mechanisms and create an ecosystem that enables healthcare and social services to prescribe meals at pre-trained local restaurants. The goal is to encourage socialisation and simultaneously ensure a diet tailored to the user's needs, without stigmatisation, new infrastructure, or additional staffing. Hypotheses: Individuals experiencing unwanted loneliness with a risk of anxiety, depression, and malnutrition will improve their emotional and nutritional status, social support, and quality of life if they dine at a restaurant in a group, accompanied by a facilitator, twice a week. Objectives: To assess whether dining at a restaurant twice a week in a group, accompanied by a facilitator, and participating in healthy eating workshops improves the emotional and nutritional status, social support, and quality of life of individuals experiencing unwanted loneliness. Methodology: Design: Randomised clinical trial with two groups. Inclusion Criteria: Autonomous individuals experiencing challenges related to living alone (Z60), at risk of malnutrition or emotional disorders, with a score of ≥14 and \<28 on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), ≥10 on the Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), or ≥32 on the DUKE-UNC-11 Social Support Scale. Participants must be able to attend follow-ups over eight months, read and write in Spanish or Catalan, and dine at a restaurant twice a week. Measurements: Sociodemographic variables, assessments of depression, anxiety, social support, quality of life, and clinical variables such as weight, height, body mass index, blood pressure, haemogram and formula, glycated haemoglobin, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, albumin, iron, ferritin, vitamin B12, and folate. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet, intervention satisfaction and compliance, and the number of pr