Schanzer Bella, Dominguez Boanerges, Shrout Patrick E, Caton Carol L M
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Am J Public Health. 2007 Mar;97(3):464-9. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.076190. Epub 2007 Jan 31.
Little is known about the health status of those who are newly homeless. We sought to describe the health status and health care use of new clients of homeless shelters and observe changes in these health indicators over the study period.
We conducted a longitudinal study of 445 individuals from their entry into the homeless shelter system through the subsequent 18 months.
Disease was prevalent in the newly homeless. This population accessed health care services at high rates in the year before becoming homeless. Significant improvements in health status were seen over the study period as well as a significant increase in the number who were insured.
Newly homeless persons struggle under the combined burdens of residential instability and significant levels of physical disease and mental illness, but many experience some improvements in their health status and access to care during their time in the homeless shelter system.
对于那些刚成为无家可归者的人的健康状况,我们了解甚少。我们试图描述无家可归者收容所新客户的健康状况和医疗保健使用情况,并观察这些健康指标在研究期间的变化。
我们对445名个体进行了一项纵向研究,从他们进入无家可归者收容所系统开始,持续后续的18个月。
疾病在刚成为无家可归者的人群中很普遍。这个群体在成为无家可归者之前的一年里,获得医疗保健服务的比例很高。在研究期间,健康状况有显著改善,参保人数也显著增加。
刚成为无家可归者的人在居住不稳定以及身体疾病和精神疾病程度严重的双重负担下挣扎,但许多人在无家可归者收容所系统期间,健康状况和获得医疗保健的机会都有一些改善。