Unmet health and social care needs and associated factors among older people aged ≥ 80 years in Izmir, Turkey

Abstract

Background: The health and social care needs of people aged ≥ 80 years are a neglected topic. Aims: To determine the prevalence of unmet health and social care needs and associated factors in community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 80 years in Izmir District of Balçova, Turkey. Methods: There were 1075 participants aged ≥ 80 years. The dependent variables were unmet health and social care needs. Independent variables were sociodemographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics. The data were collected in face-to-face interviews conducted at the homes and analysed by multiple logistic regression model. Ethical approval was obtained from the Non-Invasive Research Ethics Board of Dokuz Eylul University Medical Faculty (2017/26-24). Results: The mean age was 84.1 (3.7) years and 61.0% were female. Healthcare needs were expressed by 88.2% of the participants and 78.9% claimed that they had social care needs. Prevalence of unmet health and social care needs was 32.5% and 46.6%, respectively. Approximately 90.0% of their needs were covered by families. Perceived low-income status was a risk factor for unmet healthcare needs, and lack of social support was a risk factor for unmet social care needs. Additionally, not receiving formal education was a protective factor in unmet social care needs. Conclusion: Public health policy should be developed to enable better access to care, especially for the oldest people, considering that nearly one third of the participants in this study had unmet healthcare needs and almost half had unmet social care needs.