Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 2.
doi: 10.1111/jan.17016. Online ahead of print.

Care Needs of Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living in Poverty and Their Relationship With Other Biopsychosocial Variables: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ainhoa Fernández-Fernández  1 , Anabel Chica-Pérez  2 , Wladimir Morante-García  3 , Iria Dobarrio-Sanz  2 , Matías Correa-Casado  2   4 , Cayetano Fernández-Sola  5 , José Manuel Hernández-Padilla  2
Affiliations

Care Needs of Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living in Poverty and Their Relationship With Other Biopsychosocial Variables: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ainhoa Fernández-Fernández et al. J Adv Nurs. .

Abstract

Aim: To assess the care needs of older adults living in poverty in a high-income country and to analyse their relationship with other outcome variables.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Method: Data were collected between September 2022 and February 2024 from 384 older adults in southeastern Spain. Descriptive statistics were calculated to assess older adults' care needs. A multiple linear regression analysis was carried out to determine the percentage by which the socio-demographic or outcome variables could explain the number of met care needs among older adults in poverty.

Results: Around 20% of the care needs amongst older adults living in poverty were unmet. The most frequently unmet care need was related to money (53.6%). Almost 30% of participants were at risk of malnutrition, 18% felt lonely, and 80% perceived a low level of social support. Age, history of falls, emergency room visits, functionality, perceived social support, quality of life and nutritional status significantly predicted the number of needs met.

Conclusion: The health conditions of older adults living in poverty are suboptimal and may negatively influence their care needs. Nurses should consider these factors when designing, implementing and evaluating interventions to promote the biopsychosocial health of this population.

Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Nursing interventions to promote health amongst older adults living in poverty should focus on identifying unmet care needs, particularly those related to financial and social support. Interventions should prioritise improving nutritional status, enhancing social support networks and addressing loneliness.

Impact: Living in poverty increases older adults' vulnerability due to unmet financial, nutritional and social support needs. These unmet needs can negatively affect older adults' physical and mental health.

Reporting method: The study has been reported following the STROBE guidelines.

Patient or public contribution: The study's participants only participated in the data collection process.

Keywords: biopsychosocial variables; high‐income country; needs; older adults; poverty.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Adams, E. A., J. Stoler, and Y. Adams. 2020. “Water Insecurity and Urban Poverty in the Global South: Implications for Health and Human Biology.” American Journal of Human Biology: The Official Journal of the Human Biology Council 32, no. 1: e23368. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23368.
    1. Azar, K. M. J. 2021. “The Evolving Role of Nurse Leadership in the Fight for Health Equity.” Nurse Leader 19, no. 6: 571–575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2021.08.006.
    1. Azizabadi, Z., N. Aminisani, and M. H. Emamian. 2022. “Socioeconomic Inequality in Depression and Anxiety and Its Determinants in Iranian Older Adults.” BMC Psychiatry 22, no. 1: 761. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888‐022‐04433‐w.
    1. Baghdadi, L. R., M. K. Alhassan, F. H. Alotaibi, K. B. AlSelaim, A. A. Alzahrani, and F. F. AlMusaeed. 2021. “Anxiety, Depression, and Common Chronic Diseases, and Their Association With Social Determinants in Saudi Primary Care.” Journal of Primary Care & Community Health 12: 21501327211054987. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501327211054987.
    1. Bakaloudi, D. R., L. Chrysoula, E. Kotzakioulafi, X. Theodoridis, and M. Chourdakis. 2021. “Impact of the Level of Adherence to Mediterranean Diet on the Parameters of Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Observational Studies.” Nutrients 13, no. 5: 1514. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051514.

LinkOut - more resources