Unmet needs for long-term services and supports and associations with health outcomes.

Background: The availability of population-level data on unmet needs for long-term services and supports (LTSS) is limited at state and national levels. Data on unmet LTSS needs can improve our understanding of disparities and relationships with health outcomes.

Objective: 1) Explore differences in unmet LTSS needs by socio-demographic characteristics, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, metropolitan status, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status; and 2) Examine associations between unmet LTSS needs and health/preventative healthcare outcomes.

Methods: We used the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) core survey and state-added LTSS questions to analyze a sample of adults with LTSS needs in Texas (N = 1232). We compared socio-demographic characteristics between adults with and without unmet LTSS needs. We conducted modified-Poisson regressions to estimate unadjusted and adjusted risk ratios (with 95 % confidence intervals) for each health/preventative healthcare outcome among adults with unmet LTSS needs. Health outcomes included health status, healthy days-physical health, healthy days-mental health, suicide ideation, and multiple chronic conditions. Preventative healthcare outcomes included routine check-up and flu vaccine.

Results: Among adults with LTSS needs, those with unmet LTSS needs were statistically significantly more likely to be younger (age<65), female, higher educational attainment, and non-straight sexual orientation. After controlling for socio-demographic variables, having unmet needs for LTSS was significantly associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes and suicide ideation.

Conclusions: Improved data collection on unmet needs LTSS can assist policymakers, particularly at the state level in guiding reforms to reduce disparities in access to home and community-based services (HCBS) and improve health outcomes.