Rhoades Harmony, Wenzel Suzanne, Rice Eric, Winetrobe Hailey, Henwood Benjamin
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, 1149 S. Hill St., Suite 360, Los Angeles, CA, 90015.
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Montgomery Ross Fisher Building, Los Angeles, CA, 90089.
J Soc Distress Homeless. 2017;26(1):73-77. doi: 10.1080/10530789.2017.1305140. Epub 2017 Mar 22.
Homeless adults experience increased risk of negative health outcomes, and technology-based interventions may provide an opportunity for improving health in this population. However, little is known about homeless adults' technology access and use. Utilizing data from a study of 421 homeless adults moving into PSH, this paper presents descriptive technology findings, and compares results to age-matched general population data. The vast majority (94%) currently owned a cell phone, although there was considerable past 3-month turnover in phones (56%) and phone numbers (55%). More than half currently owned a smartphone, and 86% of those used Android operating systems. Most (85%) used a cell phone daily, 76% used text messaging, and 51% accessed the Internet on their cell phone. One-third reported no past 3-month Internet use. These findings suggest that digital technology may be a feasible means of disseminating health and wellness programs to this at-risk population, though important caveats are discussed.
无家可归的成年人面临负面健康结果的风险增加，基于技术的干预措施可能为改善这一人群的健康状况提供机会。然而，对于无家可归的成年人获取和使用技术的情况知之甚少。利用一项对421名搬进永久性支持性住房的无家可归成年人的研究数据，本文呈现了有关技术的描述性研究结果，并将结果与年龄匹配的普通人群数据进行比较。绝大多数（94%）目前拥有一部手机，尽管在过去3个月里，手机（56%）和电话号码（55%）的更换率相当高。超过一半的人目前拥有一部智能手机，其中86%使用安卓操作系统。大多数人（85%）每天使用手机，76%使用短信，51%通过手机访问互联网。三分之一的人报告在过去3个月里没有使用过互联网。这些发现表明，数字技术可能是向这一高危人群传播健康和保健项目的一种可行手段，不过文中也讨论了一些重要的注意事项。
