National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Homeless Programs Office, Washington, DC, USA.
School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Health Informatics J. 2024 Jul-Sep;30(3):14604582241276974. doi: 10.1177/14604582241276974.
Digital technologies are essential for connecting to the Internet and communicating with others. This study used data from the 2022 Project Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups (CHALENG) survey, which surveyed a national sample of 1992 homeless-experienced veterans (HEV) about use of cell phones, smart phones, computers, laptops, and the Internet. Data were analyzed to compare currently and formerly homeless veterans on digital access and to identify characteristics associated with never using the Internet. Over 75% of HEV reported having a cellphone and over 65% reported having a smartphone. Internet use was common among HEV as 74% of currently homeless veterans and 77% of formerly homeless veterans reported using the Internet. Among HEV who used the Internet, over 70% used the Internet at least weekly. There was no significant difference between currently and formerly homeless veterans on their Internet use in the total sample and subsamples of only black and only Hispanic veterans. Overall, HEV who were older, black non-Hispanic, and living in the Southeast were more likely to never use the Internet. These findings highlight the potential for technology-based interventions among HEV, and suggest a digital divide based on age, race, and geography.
数字技术对于连接互联网和与他人交流至关重要。本研究使用了 2022 年项目社区无家可归者评估、地方教育和网络小组（CHALENG）调查的数据，该调查对 1992 名有过无家可归经历的退伍军人（HEV）进行了全国性抽样调查，询问了他们使用手机、智能手机、电脑、笔记本电脑和互联网的情况。对数据进行了分析，以比较目前和以前无家可归的退伍军人在数字接入方面的情况，并确定与从未使用互联网相关的特征。超过 75%的 HEV 报告拥有手机，超过 65%的报告拥有智能手机。互联网的使用在 HEV 中很普遍，目前无家可归的退伍军人中有 74%和以前无家可归的退伍军人中有 77%报告使用互联网。在使用互联网的 HEV 中，超过 70%的人每周至少使用一次互联网。在总样本和仅黑人退伍军人和仅西班牙裔退伍军人的子样本中，目前无家可归的退伍军人和以前无家可归的退伍军人在互联网使用方面没有显著差异。总体而言，年龄较大、非裔非西班牙裔和居住在东南部的 HEV 更不可能使用互联网。这些发现突显了针对 HEV 开展基于技术的干预措施的潜力，并表明在年龄、种族和地理位置方面存在数字鸿沟。
