Abstract: Objective: To describe the current characteristics of the care demand for health care services in elderly in Tianjin, and analyze the potential influencing factors, therefore provide references for the construction of a demand-oriented long-term care system in Tianjin. Methods: By using the convenient sampling method, a total of 4713 people who were 60 years of age or older in Tianjin were selected for the survey to analyze the influencing factors of their demand level and to investigate their willingness to provide for the elderly. Results: The elderly have a high demand for health monitoring, psychological and social support, protection and safety. The multivariate analysis showed that age, level of education, the number of hospitalizations due to illness, self-care ability, possession of spouse, use of mobile phones and model of living were influencing factors of demand level of medical care services for the elderly (all P<0.05). Conclusion: At present, the demand for medical care services for the elderly in Tianjin has not been fully met. The elderly who are very elderly, have no spouse, live alone or in an elderly care institution, do not use mobile phones, have been hospitalized for many times due to illness in the past year, and are disabled or semi disabled, whose the highest degree is not junior high school may have a high demand for care. It is recommended to increase the supply of long-term care services.

Key words: elderly; health care demand; care needs; influencing factors