Developing a brief assessment of social risks for the Veterans Health Administration Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a 6‐ or 12‐month look‐back period affected rates of reported social risks in a social risk survey for use in the Veterans Health Administration and to assess associations of social risks with overall health and mental health. STUDY DESIGN: Cross‐sectional survey of respondents randomized to 6‐ or 12‐month look‐back period. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: Online survey with a convenience sample of Veterans in June and July 2021. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Veteran volunteers were recruited by email to complete a survey assessing social risks, including financial strain, adult caregiving, childcare, food insecurity, housing, transportation, internet access, loneliness/isolation, stress, discrimination, and legal issues. Outcomes included self‐reported overall health and mental health. Chi‐squared tests compared the prevalence of reported social risks between 6‐ and 12‐month look‐back periods. Spearman correlations assessed associations among social risks. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models estimated associations between social risks and fair/poor overall and mental health. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Of 3418 Veterans contacted, 1063 (31.10%) responded (87.11% male; 85.61% non‐Hispanic White; median age = 70, interquartile range [IQR] = 61–74). Prevalence of most reported social risks did not significantly differ by look‐back period. Most social risks were weakly intercorrelated (median |r| = 0.24, IQR = 0.16‐0.31). Except for legal issues, all social risks were associated with higher odds of fair/poor overall health and mental health in bivariate models. In models containing all significant social risks from bivariate models, adult caregiving and stress remained significant predictors of overall health; food insecurity, housing, loneliness/isolation, and stress remained significant for mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Six‐ and 12‐month look‐back periods yielded similar rates of reported social risks. Although most individual social risks are associated with fair/poor overall and mental health, when examined together, only adult caregiving, stress, loneliness/isolation, food, and housing remain significant.