Health-related social needs and self-Reported health among adults with type 1 diabetes in the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

AIMS: To examine the association between health-related social needs (HRSNs) and indicators of self-rated health in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

METHODS

Using data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we examined the association between HRSNs and 1) self-reported health (excellent to poor), 2) days of mental health not good, and, 3) days of physical health not good in the past 30 days. Data were from 476 adults with T1D in the U.S.

RESULTS

Participants were mostly white (75 %), male (54 %), and over 50 years old (52 %). Factor analysis of the 10 federal HRSN items produced three factors we named Psychosocial, Financial, and Employment. After controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance, healthcare access, smoking, binge drinking, and comorbidities, higher Psychosocial HRSN score and Financial HRSN score were associated with lower self-reported health, more days of mental health not good, and more days of physical health not good. Employment HRSN was not associated with any measure of self-reported health.

CONCLUSION

This is the first examination of HRSN and self-rated health in T1D. Screening for HRSNs should be integrated into diabetes care to identify and serve high-risk patients.