Abstract Body: Background: Integrating social and medical care is one strategy to promote health equity. Yet, little is known about the prevalence of health-related social risks (social risks) among stroke survivors. We sought to determine the prevalence of social risks among stroke survivors and compare this to older adults who have not had a stroke.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of community-dwelling older adults (age ≥ 65) from the National Health and Aging Trends Survey. Six core social risks were examined: medical financial needs, utility financial needs, housing, nutrition, social isolation, and transportation. We used a Poisson regression model to explore the association of social risks and history of stroke, accounting for sociodemographic factors (age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, rurality) and comorbidities.

Results: Of 5834 older adults, 673 (weighted percentage, 8.68%) were stroke survivors. The most prevalent social risks were social isolation and nutrition (Figure). Stroke survivors were more likely to report social risks compared to older adults without a history of stroke (54.3% vs. 40.2%, p<0.01). Stroke survivors reported higher social needs, 0.92 (95% CI 0.78, 1.06) compared to those without a history of a stroke 0.61 (95% CI 0.57, 0.65, p<0.01). In adjusted models (Table), female sex (coeff 0.14, 95% CI 0.05, 0.23, p<0.01), Black race (coeff 0.36, 95% CI 0.22, 0.49, p<0.01), lower-income (coeff -0.18, 95% CI -0.2, -0.15, p<0.01), comorbidities (coeff 0.1, 95% CI 0.07, 0.14, p<0.01), and history of dementia (coeff 0.14, 95% CI 0.01, 0.27, p=0.04) were independently associated with social risks. History of stroke was not independently associated with social risks (coeff 0.06, 95% CI -0.08, 0.2, p=0.39).

Conclusion: Social risks are common amongst older adults generally, and 35% more common still among stroke survivors. Social risks among older adults are more strongly influenced by sex, race, income and comorbidities rather than a history of stroke itself. Strategies to address social risks may help reduce disparities related to sex, race, and income, including among stroke survivors.