OBJECTIVE:Homelessness and hunger are associated with poor health care access among children. Housing instability and food insecurity represent milder and more prevalent forms of homelessness and hunger. The aim of this study was to determine the association between housing instability and food insecurity with children's health care access and acute health care utilization.METHODS:We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 12,746 children from low-income households included in the 2002 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF). In multivariate models controlling for important covariates, we measured the association between housing instability and food insecurity with 3 health care access measures: 1) no usual source of care, 2) postponed medical care, and 3) postponed medications. We also measured 3 health care utilization measures: 1) not receiving the recommended number of well-child care visits, 2) increased emergency department visits, and 3) hospitalizations.RESULTS:Our analysis showed that 29.5% of low-income children lived in households with housing instability and 39.0% with food insecurity. In multivariate logistic regression models, housing instability was independently associated with postponed medical care, postponed medications, and increased emergency department visits. Food insecurity was independently associated with no usual source of care, postponed medical care, postponed medications, and not receiving the recommended well-child care visits.CONCLUSION:Families that experience housing instability and food insecurity, without necessarily experiencing homelessness or hunger, have compromised ability to receive adequate health care for their children. Policy makers should consider improving programs that decrease housing instability and food insecurity, and clinicians should consider screening for housing instability and food insecurity so as to provide comprehensive care.

OBJECTIVETo estimate the association between housing status and health care access and outcomes among young adults aging out of the child welfare system.DESIGNProspective cohort studySETTINGIllinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Baseline interviews were conducted between May 2002 and March 2003 and follow-up interviews, between March and December 2004.PARTICIPANTSParticipants were foster youth aged 17 or 18 years in Illinois, Wisconsin, or Iowa. We invited a random sample of 67% of eligible Illinois youth and all eligible youth from Wisconsin and Iowa to participate. Researchers interviewed 749 at baseline (94.7% response) and 643 at follow-up (85.8%); we excluded 8 participants without housing data (n=635). We included only the 345 emancipated participants in analyses of health care access. MAIN EXPOSURE Housing status after emancipation: stable housing; unstable housing; or homeless.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESMultivariate adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of association between main exposure variables with 3 measures of access to care and 2 health outcomes.RESULTSAmong the 345 emancipated participants, 14.2% experienced homelessness and 39.4% were unstably housed. In multivariate analysis of emancipated participants, homelessness was associated with being uninsured (AOR, 3.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.52-7.63) and having unmet need for health care (AOR, 3.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-7.56); it was not associated with not having had ambulatory care. In multivariate analysis of all participants, housing status was not associated with reporting fair or poor health at follow-up or, among women, with having had a pregnancy.CONCLUSIONHaving had an episode of homelessness after emancipation is associated with worse health access, but not worse outcomes, among youth emancipated from foster care.

Background. Homelessness is associated with high rates of hospitalizations and age-adjusted mortality. Few studies have examined whether homeless people are admitted to the hospital at an earlier age than the general population or for different diagnoses. Methods. We compared the age at admission and the primary discharge diagnoses in a national sample of 43,868 hospitalized veterans. Results. The difference in median age between homeless and housed inpatients ranged from 10–18 years for medical-surgical diagnoses and 3–4 years for psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses (p#.005 for all diagnoses). Homeless veterans were more likely to have been admitted for psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses (79.9%), compared with housed veterans (29.1%). Conclusions. Substance abuse and psychiatric illness account for the majority of admissions among homeless veterans. Among all diagnostic groups, homeless people were admitted at younger ages. Our findings suggest that homeless people have either a more rapid disease course, leading to earlier morbidity, or lower admission threshholds sufficient to generate hospital admission.

BACKGROUND: Homelessness and hunger are associated with poor health outcomes. Housing instability and food insecurity describe less severe problems securing housing and food. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between housing instability and food insecurity and access to ambulatory health care and rates of acute health care utilization. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis of the National Survey of American Families. PARTICIPANTS: 16,651 low-income adults. MEASUREMENT: Self-reported measures of past-year access: (1) not having a usual source of care, (2) postponing needed medical care, or (3) postponing medication; and past-year utilization: (1) not having an ambulatory care visit, (2) having emergency department (ED) visits, or (3) inpatient hospitalization. RESULTS: 23.6% of subjects had housing instability and 42.7% had food insecurity. In multivariate logistic regression models, housing instability was independently associated with not having a usual source of care (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08 to 1.59), postponing needed medical care (AOR 1.84, 95% CI 1.46 to 2.31) and postponing medications (AOR 2.16, 95% CI 1.70 to 2.74), increased ED use (AOR: 1.43, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.70), and hospitalizations (AOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.67). Food insecurity was independently associated with postponing needed medical care (AOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.38 to 2.21) and postponing medications (AOR 2.15, 95% CI 1.62 to 2.85), increased ED use (AOR 1.39, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.66), and hospitalizations (AOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.85). CONCLUSIONS: Housing instability and food insecurity are associated with poor access to ambulatory care and high rates of acute care. These competing life demands may lead to delays in seeking care and predispose to acute care.

Methamphetamine (MA) use is on the rise in the United States, with many cities reporting increases of 100% or more in MA-related Emergency Department (ED) mentions. Women are keeping pace with this trend: in 2003, 40% of ED mentions and 45% of MA-related treatment admissions were female. Although there have been extensive examinations of MA use and HIV/STI risk among gay men in recent years, literature regarding female MA users is scarce. This paper examines female methamphetamine injectors in San Francisco, CA, from 2003–2005. We assessed sexual and injection related risk behaviors, comparing female MA injectors to female injectors of other drugs. We also examined whether MA use was independently associated with specific sexual and injection risk behaviors. We found that female MA injectors were significantly more likely than non-MA injectors to report unprotected anal intercourse, multiple sexual partners, receptive syringe sharing and sharing of syringes with more than one person in the past six months. In multivariate analysis, MA use among female injectors was significantly associated with anal sex, more than five sexual partners, receptive syringe sharing, and more than one syringe-sharing partner in the past six months. Deeper exploration of the relationship between MA use and sexual risk among women would benefit HIV/STI prevention efforts. In addition, existing interventions for drug-injecting women may need to be adapted to better meet the risks of female MA injectors.

Fatal heroin overdose has become a leading cause of death among injection drug users (IDUs). Several recent feasibility studies have concluded that naloxone distribution programs for heroin injectors should be implemented to decrease heroin over-dose deaths, but there have been no prospective trials of such programs in North America. This pilot study was undertaken to investigate the safety and feasibility of training injection drug using partners to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and administer naloxone in the event of heroin overdose. During May and June 2001, 24 IDUs (12 pairs of injection partners) were recruited from street settings in San Francisco. Participants took part in 8-hour training in heroin overdose prevention, CPR, and the use of naloxone. Following the intervention, participants were prospectively followed for 6 months to determine the number and outcomes of witnessed heroin overdoses, outcomes of participant interventions, and changes in participants' knowledge of overdose and drug use behavior. Study participants witnessed 20 heroin overdose events during 6 months follow-up. They performed CPR in 16 (80%) events, administered naloxone in 15 (75%) and did one or the other in 19 (95%). All overdose victims survived. Knowledge about heroin overdose management increased, whereas heroin use decreased. IDUs can be trained to respond to heroin overdose emergencies by performing CPR and administering naloxone. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of this peer intervention to prevent fatal heroin overdose.

The dual risks of male-to-male sex and drug injection have put men who have sex with men and inject drugs (MSM-IDU) at the forefront of the HIV epidemic, with the highest rates of infection among any risk group in the United States. This study analyzes data collected from 357 MSM-IDU in San Francisco between 1998 and 2002 to examine how risk behaviors differ by HIV serostatus and self-identified sexual orientation and to assess medical and social service utilization among HIV-positive MSM-IDU. Twenty-eight percent of the sample tested HIV antibody positive. There was little difference in risk behaviors between HIV-negative and HIV-positive MSM-IDU. Thirty percent of HIV-positive MSM-IDU reported distributive syringe sharing, compared to 40% of HIV negatives. Among MSM-IDU who reported anal intercourse in past 6 months, 70% of positives and 66% of HIV negatives reported unprotected anal intercourse. HIV status varied greatly by self-identified sexual orientation: 46% among gay, 24% among bisexual, and 14% among heterosexual MSM-IDU. Heterosexual MSM-IDU were more likely than other MSM-IDU to be homeless and to trade sex for money or drugs. Gay MSM-IDU were more likely to have anal intercourse. Bisexual MSM-IDU were as likely as heterosexual MSM-IDU to have sex with women and as likely as gay-identified MSM-IDU to have anal intercourse. Among MSM-IDU who were HIV positive, 15% were currently on antiretroviral therapy and 18% were currently in drug treatment, and 87% reported using a syringe exchange program in the past 6 months. These findings have implications for the development of HIV interventions that target the diverse MSM-IDU population.

Hospitals do not routinely collect data about homelessness. The objectives of the present study were to (1) describe rate of patient reports of homelessness among inpatients at a public hospital, (2) assess the agreement between patient report of housing status on a study questionnaire with clinical and administrative data about homelessness, and (3) assess changes in housing status during hospitalization. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of inpatients at an urban public hospital to assess housing status; we then examined subjects' medical charts to assess agreement with the questionnaire on housing status. Of inpatients, 25.6% were homeless at discharge. An additional 19.4% were marginally housed. One third of homeless persons had their housing status change during their hospitalization. Administrative data identified 25.6% and physicians' notes identified 22.5% as homeless. Clinical, administrative, and survey data did not agree. Homelessness and changes in housing status are common among inpatients at an urban public hospital. Poor agreement on who is homeless limits the usefulness of data.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of a spit tobacco (ST) intervention designed to promote ST cessation and discourage ST initiation among male high school baseball athletes. Methods: This study was a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Forty-four randomly selected high schools in rural California were randomized within strata (prevalence of ST use and number and size of baseball teams) to either the intervention or the control group. Ninety-three percent of eligible baseball athletes participated, yielding 516 subjects in 22 intervention schools and 568 subjects in 22 control schools. Prevalences of sustained ST cessation and ST use initiation over 1 year were assessed by self-report. Multivariate logistic regression models for clustered responses were used to test the null hypotheses of no association between group and the two outcomes, adjusted for the stratified design and baseline imbalances between groups in significant predictors of ST use. Results: Prevalence of cessation was 27% in intervention high schools and 14% in control high schools (odds ratio (OR)=2.29; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.36–3.87). The intervention was especially effective in promoting cessation among those who, at baseline, lacked confidence that they could quit (OR=6.4; 95% CI, 1.0–4.3), among freshmen (OR=15; 95% CI, 0.9–260), and among nonsmokers (OR=3.2; 95% CI, 0.9–11). There was no significant difference between groups in the prevalence of ST initiation. Conclusions: This intervention was effective in promoting ST cessation, but was ineffective in preventing initiation of ST use by nonusers.

OBJECTIVES:The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a college-based smokeless tobacco cessation intervention targeting college athletes.METHODS:Sixteen colleges were matched for prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in their combined baseball and football teams and randomly assigned within college pairs to the intervention or the control group. One-year prevalence of cessation among smokeless tobacco users was determined by self-report of abstinence for the previous 30 days. Differences between groups were analyzed in a weighted version of the Fisher 1-sided permutation test for paired samples after adjustment for significant predictors of quitting other than the intervention (i.e., smokeless tobacco uses per week and most frequently used brand).RESULTS:Cessation prevalences were 35% in the intervention colleges and 16% in the control colleges when subjects with unknown quit status were defined as nonquitters. After adjustment for other significant predictors of quitting, the difference of 19% increased to 21%. The intervention effect increased with level of smokeless tobacco use.CONCLUSIONS:This intervention was effective in promoting smokeless tobacco cessation, especially among those who were more frequent users.

Objectives The goal of this study was to examine sex differences in the use of coronary angiography after acute myocardial infarction in managed care facilities by using the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) practice guidelines (which incorporate clinical information on infarct complications, severity of illness, and comorbidity). Background Although sex differences in the use of coronary angiography after acute myocardial infarction have been previously explored, the effects of indications for coronary angiography and common health insurance coverage on the sex and coronary angiography use relation have not been previously examined. Methods This historical prospective study analyzed data collected from a random sample of 1133 patients (377 women, 756 men) from among 2740 patients hospitalized with validated acute myocardial infarction between Jan. 1, 1990, and Dec. 31, 1992, from seven of 16 Northern California Kaiser Facilities (three with high procedure rates for coronary angiography, four with low rates relative to the average region-wide utilization rate). In accordance with the guidelines, use of coronary angiography was determined for the in-hospital and “0 to 8 weeks” postdischarge periods. Patients were assigned time specific ACC/AHA classes for coronary angiography indications (I = highly indicated, IIA = probably indicated, IIB = not harmful, III = not indicated). The independent impact of ACC/AHA class, age, race, and facility on the sex and use of coronary angiography relation was examined by the Cox proportional hazard model. Results Accounting only for ACC/AHA class, fewer women underwent coronary angiography compared with men among the “highly indicated” class I patients during the in-hospital period (43% vs 35%; p < 0.05), but not after discharge. Use of coronary angiography between the sexes was not statistically different among classes IIA, IIB, and III for both periods. After adjusting for differences in age, race, facility, and ACC/AHA class, we found no sex difference in in-hospital use of coronary angiography (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82 to 1.26), but among those discharged without receiving coronary angiography, women probably received fewer angiograms than did men (HR = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.37 to 1.00). For both periods, no significant sex difference in use of coronary angiography was found within ACC/AHA classes after adjustments. Conclusion In a setting where health insurance is prepaid and after controlling for ACC/AHA classification for coronary angiography indications, age, race, and facility, use of coronary angiography after myocardial infarction was similar among men and women during hospitalization, but was lower among women after discharge. Likely explanations for these differences in use of coronary angiography may include effects of physician judgment, patient decision, other social factors, or clinical information not captured in the practice guidelines. (Am Heart J 1998;135:435-42.)

Statistics in MedicineVolume 16, Issue 4 p. 441-454 Research Article A PARAMETRIC APPROACH TO POPULATION BIOEQUIVALENCE WALTER W. HAUCK, WALTER W. HAUCK Biostatistics Section, Division of Chemical Pharmacology, Thomas Jefferson University, 125 South 9th Street, Sheridan Building, Suite 403, Philadelphia, PA 19107, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorFREDERIC Y. BOIS, FREDERIC Y. BOIS IEP, MS 90-3058, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorTERRY HYSLOP, TERRY HYSLOP Biostatistics Section, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Thomas Jefferson University, 125 South 9th Street, Sheridan Building, Suite 403, Philadelphia, PA 19107, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorLAUREN GEE, LAUREN GEE Division of Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0840, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorSHARON ANDERSON, SHARON ANDERSON Biostatistics Section, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Thomas Jefferson University, 125 South 9th Street, Sheridan Building, Suite 403, Philadelphia, PA 19107, U.S.A. and Biostatistics and Data Management, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author WALTER W. HAUCK, WALTER W. HAUCK Biostatistics Section, Division of Chemical Pharmacology, Thomas Jefferson University, 125 South 9th Street, Sheridan Building, Suite 403, Philadelphia, PA 19107, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorFREDERIC Y. BOIS, FREDERIC Y. BOIS IEP, MS 90-3058, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorTERRY HYSLOP, TERRY HYSLOP Biostatistics Section, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Thomas Jefferson University, 125 South 9th Street, Sheridan Building, Suite 403, Philadelphia, PA 19107, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorLAUREN GEE, LAUREN GEE Division of Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0840, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorSHARON ANDERSON, SHARON ANDERSON Biostatistics Section, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Thomas Jefferson University, 125 South 9th Street, Sheridan Building, Suite 403, Philadelphia, PA 19107, U.S.A. and Biostatistics and Data Management, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author First published: 04 December 1998 https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0258(19970228)16:4<441::AID-SIM390>3.0.CO;2-FCitations: 12AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume16, Issue428 February 1997Pages 441-454 RelatedInformation

BACKGROUND This study was undertaken to study gender differences in the use of coronary angiography (CA), revascularization (RV), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in patient with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who were assigned to "High Indication for CA" per the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/ AHA) practice guidelines. METHODS AND RESULTS This is a historical prospective study based on a stratified random sample of 1165 AMI patients from January 1990 to December 1992 at seven health maintenance organization hospitals. CA was highly indicated in 286 women and 564 men. In a Cox hazard ratio (HR), women received significantly (P<.05) fewer CAs (HR, .78) and RVs (HR, .62) than men after adjusting for age, Charlson index, and congestive heart failure. Crude CVD mortality for women was higher than men (HR, 1.7). After adjustments for age, Charlson index, and congestive heart failure, the HR was reduced to 1.19 for women. Further adjustment for CA and RV lowered CVD mortality in women slightly (HR, 1.14). RV is associated with lowered CVD (HR, .41). CONCLUSIONS In patients with high indication for CA, use of CA and RV was significantly lower in women. After adjustments were made for risk profile and treatment modalities, women did not have a significantly increased risk for CVD compared with men. However, the apparent protective effect of RV in patients with a high indication for CA suggests that practices in line with ACC/AHA guidelines may reduce CVD in both women and men.

Sixteen colleges were matched on the baseline prevalence of spit tobacco (ST) use, and college pairs were randomized, one to the intervention and the other to the control group. Baseball and football athletes at each intervention college received: an oral examination by a dental professional who pointed out ST-related problems in the athlete's mouth and advised him to quit ST use; counseling by a dental hygienist on strategies to cope with cravings and triggers for use; and two follow-up telephone calls. At the three-month follow-up, quit rates were 24% and 16% for the intervention (n = 171) and control (n = 189) groups, respectively (p < 0.05). As the reported amount of ST used weekly increased, the percent of individuals who quit at 3 mos decreased (p < 0.05). Dental professionals appear to be effective in promoting spit tobacco cessation at 3 mos post-intervention in male college athletes, especially among those using lesser amounts of ST.