OBJECTIVES: The role of competing priorities as a barrier to the utilization of physical health services was assessed in a subset (n = 363) of a probability sample of homeless adults in Los Angeles. METHODS: Unadjusted odds of four measures of health services utilization were calculated for those with frequent difficulty in meeting their subsistence needs. These odds were then adjusted for a range of characteristics assumed to affect the utilization of health services among the homeless. RESULTS: Before and after adjustment, those with frequent subsistence difficulty were less likely to have a regular source of care (odds ratio [OR] = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.16, 0.53) and more likely to have gone without needed medical care (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.04, 3.00). Subsistence difficulty had no impact on the likelihood of having an outpatient visit or having been hospitalized. Conclusions remained the same after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent subsistence difficulty appears to be an important nonfinancial barrier to the utilization of health services perceived as discretionary among homeless adults.
OBJECTIVES: The role of competing priorities as a barrier to the utilization of physical health services was assessed in a subset (n = 363) of a probability sample of homeless adults in Los Angeles. METHODS: Unadjusted odds of four measures of health services utilization were calculated for those with frequent difficulty in meeting their subsistence needs. These odds were then adjusted for a range of characteristics assumed to affect the utilization of health services among the homeless. RESULTS: Before and after adjustment, those with frequent subsistence difficulty were less likely to have a regular source of care (odds ratio [OR] = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.16, 0.53) and more likely to have gone without needed medical care (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.04, 3.00). Subsistence difficulty had no impact on the likelihood of having an outpatient visit or having been hospitalized. Conclusions remained the same after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent subsistence difficulty appears to be an important nonfinancial barrier to the utilization of health services perceived as discretionary among homeless adults.
Authors: Thomas P O'Toole; Jeanette L Gibbon; Deborah Seltzer; Barbara H Hanusa; Michael J Fine Journal: J Urban Health Date: 2002-06 Impact factor: 3.671
Authors: Kate Goldade; Guy-Lucien Whembolua; Janet Thomas; Sara Eischen; Hongfei Guo; John Connett; Don Des Jarlais; Ken Resnicow; Lillian Gelberg; Greg Owen; Jon Grant; Jasjit S Ahluwalia; Kolawole S Okuyemi Journal: Clin Trials Date: 2011-12 Impact factor: 2.486
Authors: Travis P Baggett; Daniel E Singer; Sowmya R Rao; James J O'Connell; Monica Bharel; Nancy A Rigotti Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2011-01-29 Impact factor: 5.128