Health situation and perceived health status among women experiencing homelessness: A longitudinal study in Spain.
Malena Lenta, Sonia Panadero, Adrian Cabrera and 1 others
PMID 36029140WHAT IT FOUND
Over three years, homeless women in Madrid reported similar perceived health: 41.2% good at baseline and 38.8% at 36 months.
Pain and diagnosed severe or chronic illness were common.
Key findings
01At baseline, 41.2% rated their health good or very good and 26.5% rated it poor or very poor; at 36 months, 38.8% rated it good or very good and 25.3% rated it poor or very poor.
0253.7% reported a medically diagnosed severe or chronic illness, and around two thirds reported physical pain or discomfort in the prior month, with 36.7% reporting severe or extreme pain at baseline and 37.9% at 36 months.
03Younger age and access to independent accommodation were positively associated with better perceived health, while more stressful life events, homelessness longer than five years, intimate partner violence, and loneliness were negatively associated.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in Madrid, where the healthcare and social care system may not match other places. Health information came from structured interviews and was not checked against other sources. Only 67 of the original 138 women were interviewed at 36 months, and 33.8% could not be located. Eight women died and three returned to their country of origin during follow-up. The outcome was perceived health and self-reported illness, not verified clinical records. The authors note a lack of previous comparable studies in Madrid or elsewhere.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that independent accommodation improves health. The study found an association in an observational design, and the outcome was perceived health, not a measured clinical outcome.