 Competing priorities as a barrier to medical care among homeless adults in Los AngelesL. Gelberg, T.C. Gallagher, R.M. Andersen and P. Koegel American Journal of Public Health, 1997, vol. 87, issue 2, 217-220 Abstract: Objectives. The role of competing priorities as a barrier to the utilization of physical health services was assessed in a subset (n = 363) of a probability sample of homeless adults in Los Angeles. Methods. Unadjusted odds of four measures of health services utilization were calculated for those with frequent difficulty in meeting their subsistence needs. These odds were then adjusted for a range of characteristics assumed to affect the utilization of health services among the homeless. Results. Before and after adjustment, those with frequent subsistence difficulty were less likely to have a regular source of care (odds ratio [OR] = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.16, 0.53) and more likely to have gone without needed medical care (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.04, 3.00). Subsistence difficulty had no impact on the likelihood of having an outpatient visit or having been hospitalized. Conclusions remained the same after adjustment. Conclusions. Frequent subsistence difficulty appears to be an important nonfinancial barrier to the utilization of health services perceived as discretionary among homeless adults. Date: 1997 There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1997:87:2:217-220_7 Access Statistics for this article American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association |
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