Homeless Women: Drugs, Race/Ethicity, And Health Care

描述：（申请人提供） 研究表明，吸毒和身体健康问题相当普遍 报告还指出，无家可归者的健康状况不佳，他们的一般保健需求往往得不到满足。 然而，这项研究的大部分是基于主要由无家可归者组成的样本， 男人到目前为止，关于药物之间的关系的研究很少。 无家可归妇女使用和利用一般保健服务的情况。此外，委员会认为， 在这种关系中可能存在的种族/民族差异尚未被 广泛检查。这项研究将使用来自两个国家的二级数据。 补充资助的研究，以分析药物使用和 使用一般卫生保健（住院、门诊和预防）。第一 在基于社区的概率中筛选终生药物依赖的数据集 洛杉矶县861名无家可归妇女的样本，第二个数据集 在一项有目的的调查中评估了目前的重度毒品使用和终生注射毒品使用情况， 洛杉矶1,330名无家可归妇女的样本。我们将测试假设 关于广泛的诱发和促成因素（例如， 管理、医疗保险和获得公共福利） 与非裔美国人，拉丁裔， 和有毒品问题的白色无家可归的女人研究建议直接 解决了NIDA战略计划中突出的政策问题， 健康差距。通过记录健康问题的性质和程度 影响吸毒的无家可归妇女、她们对一般保健服务的利用、 他们的护理需求未得到满足的程度，以及可能的种族/民族 这些模式的差异，本研究将为药物治疗提供者提供信息 他们可能采用的筛选/评估程序的价值和内容 以及需要更有效联系的一般保健服务类型， needed.

DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant) Research has shown that drug use and physical health problems are quite common among the homeless and that their general health-care needs often go unmet. However, much of this research is based on samples composed largely of homeless men. To date, there has been little research on the relationship between drug use and utilization of general health care among homeless women. Moreover, possible racial/ethnic differences in this relationship have not been extensively examined. This study will employ secondary data from two complementary funded studies to analyze the association between drug use and use of general health care (inpatient, ambulatory, and preventive). The first dataset screened for lifetime drug dependence in a community-based probability sample of 861 homeless women in Los Angeles County, and the second dataset assessed current heavy drug use and lifetime injection drug use in a purposive sample of 1,330 homeless women in Los Angeles. We will test hypotheses regarding a wide range of predisposing and enabling factors (such as case management, health insurance, and access to public benefits) potentially associated with access to general health services by African American, Latina, and White homeless women with drug problems. The proposed study directly addresses policy questions prominent in NIDA's strategic plan on reducing health disparities. By documenting the nature and extent of health problems affecting drug-using homeless women, their use of general health services, the extent to which their need for care goes unmet, and possible racial/ethnic differences in these patterns, this study will inform drug treatment providers on the value and content of screening/assessment procedures they might employ and the types of general health services for which more effective linkage is needed.