Published in:
01-04-2009 | Special Issue
Hospitalizations Among Homeless Women: Are There Ethnic and Drug Abuse Disparities?
Authors:
Lillian Gelberg, MD, MSPH, Ronald Andersen, PhD, Douglas Longshore, PhD, Barbara Leake, PhD, Adeline Nyamathi, ANP, PhD, FAAN, Cheryl Teruya, PhD, Lisa Arangua, MPP
Published in:
The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research
|
Issue 2/2009
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Abstract
This paper explores associations among the vulnerabilities of being female, being a member of a minority group, and being a drug abuser in homeless women’s hospitalizations. It uses a 1997 probability survey of 974 homeless females age 15–44 in Los Angeles. In unadjusted analyses, whites were more likely than other ethnic minority groups to be hospitalized, and drug abusers were more likely to be hospitalized than non-drug abusers. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that factors associated with hospitalization differed considerably among the ethnic and drug-abuse subgroups. For example, ethnic disparities in inpatient health care were found for drug-abusing women, but not for those who did not abuse drugs. Pregnancy was the only important determinant of hospitalization in all subgroups (OR, 2.9–17.4). Preventing unintended pregnancy appears to be the most inclusive means of reducing hospitalization and attendant costs among homeless women.