Effects of disability-related limitations in daily living on unmet needs: a longitudinal-study1

Abstract

Background: Unmet health needs are particularly important to people with disabilities; however, these unmet needs owing to limitations in daily life have been under-researched thus far. This study examined the effects of disability-related limitations in daily life on unmet needs. Methods: This study included 5,074 adults with disabilities from the 2018–2020 Korea Disability and Life Dynamics Panel. We analyzed the effects of disability-related limitations in daily life on unmet needs using logistic regression with a generalized estimating equation model. Results: Overall, 4.8% men and 4.6% women with disabilities had unmet needs. For men, unmet needs were 1.46 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–1.96) higher for those with moderate limitations in daily life. For women, unmet needs were 1.79 times (95% CI 1.22–2.39) higher when there were moderate limitations in daily life. The prominent factors causing this effect were physical or brain lesion disability for men and internal or facial disability and burden of medical expenses for women. Conclusions: Limitations in daily life due to disability increase the risk of having unmet needs, an effect that is significantly more pronounced in men. These unmet needs differ depending on an individual’s sex, disability type, limited body parts, and other specific causes. Efforts are required to reduce the unmet needs of people with disabilities by considering the type of disability, impaired body parts, and causes of unmet needs in daily life. © 2024, The Author(s).