Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Volume 63, Issue 11, 2009, Pages 943-948

The health of homeless immigrants (Article)

Chiu S. , Redelmeier D.A. , Tolomiczenko G. , Kiss A. , Hwang S.W.
  • a Centre for Research on Inner City Health, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • b Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • c Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada
  • d Department of Research Design and Biostatistics, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • e Centre for Research on Inner City Health, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada

Abstract

Background: This study examined the association between immigrant status and current health in a representative sample of 1189 homeless people in Toronto, Canada. Methods: Multivariate regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between immigrant status and current health status (assessed using the SF-12) among homeless recent immigrants (≤10 years since immigration), non-recent immigrants (>10 years since immigration) and Canadian-born individuals recruited at shelters and meal programmes (response rate 73%). Results: After adjusting for demographic characteristics and lifetime duration of homelessness, recent immigrants were significantly less likely to have chronic conditions (RR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5 to 0.9), mental health problems (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.7), alcohol problems (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.5) and drug problems (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.4) than non-recent immigrants and Canadian-born individuals. Recent immigrants were also more likely to have better mental health status (+3.4 points, SE ± 1.6) and physical health status (+2.2 points, SE ± 1.3) on scales with a mean of 50 and a SD of 10 in the general population. Conclusion: Homeless recent immigrants are a distinct group who are generally healthier and may have very different service needs from other homeless people.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

unemployment immigrant Toronto mental health human middle aged controlled study health status Time Factors alcohol housing Logistic Models Health Surveys alcoholism drug dependence chronic disease mental disease Young Adult health program North America family Humans drug Adolescent income Interviews as Topic Canada male Emigrants and Immigrants meal female Multivariate Analysis health services Article Ontario major clinical study adult Homeless Persons Ontario [Canada] homelessness health care need public health health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-70350228504&doi=10.1136%2fjech.2009.088468&partnerID=40&md5=5516d34c446bcd0e5c12382b0bc367b3
DOI: 10.1136/jech.2009.088468
ISSN: 0143005X
Cited by: 24
Original Language: English