Peer Reviewed
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Abstract
Context: Homeless individuals have comparatively poorer health, however few gender specific assessments exist.
Purpose: This cross-sectional survey of homeless individuals assesses gender-specific health needs.
Procedure: 68 Homeless adults were surveyed at a shelter from March to April, 2015 in Iowa City, IA. Descriptive statistics were computed to compare gender-subgroup responses.
Main Findings: The study population was predominately male (45, 67.2%), white (37, 54.4%), and averaged 42.35 years old (range 21-74). Males were more likely to be veterans (13, 28.9% vs. 1, 4.5%, p=0.025). Women were more likely to have dependents (9, 47.4% vs. 1, 4%, p=0.001) and access to dental coverage (16, 80% vs. 12, 30.8%, p=0.001). Similar rates of chronic disease, primary care access, and unmet health needs were noted.
Conclusions: Homeless women and men have unique needs and would benefit from gender-specific health interventions. Resources for child-care may be important for women who are homeless, while dental health care may be particularly beneficial for men.
Keywords
Homeless health, underserved medicine, health inequalities, women’s health, men’s health, unmet health needs
Total Pages
11
Financial Disclosure
The authors report no conflict of interest.
Submission Type
Article
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publisher
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Recommended Citation
Meurice ME, Todd C, Barlow PB, Gaglioti AH, Goad L, Hardy-Fairbanks A, Stockdale CK. Unique health needs and characteristics of homeless women in Iowa City, Iowa. POG in Press. 2019 November; Article 2 [11 p.]. Available from: http://ir.uiowa.edu/pog_in_press/. Free full text article.
Additional Files
Unique health needs and characteristics of homeless women in Iowa City, Iowa, appendix.pdf (54 kB)Included in
URL
https://ir.uiowa.edu/pog_in_press/103