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Health of homeless children and housed, poor children
D L Wood1, R B Valdez, T Hayashi
1Dept of Pediatrics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048.
Insights
Homeless children face significant health challenges, including more behavioral issues and developmental delays than housed poor children. These problems are linked to environmental risk factors and family instability.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Increasing numbers of homeless children nationwide experience frequent health problems.
- Homelessness is associated with significant environmental and family-related risk factors impacting child well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess and compare the health status of homeless children versus housed poor children.
- To identify specific health problems and associated risk factors in homeless children.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted with 196 homeless families and 194 housed poor families between March 1987 and January 1988.
- Parental reports were used to assess multiple dimensions of child health, including illness symptoms, disability, behavior, and development.
Main Results:
- Homeless children experienced high rates of illness symptoms, disability, and bed days, similar to housed poor children.
- Homeless children showed higher rates of behavior problems (30% vs 18%) and school failure.
- Significant issues included developmental delay (9%), overweight (13%), imbalanced diets, and increased family problems like spousal and parental substance abuse.
Conclusions:
- Homeless children exhibit significant behavioral, developmental, nutritional, and growth problems.
- These health issues are strongly associated with multiple environmental risk factors and family instability.
Abstract:
Homeless children in families are increasing in numbers across the country and have been noted to have frequent health problems. The health status of homeless children was assessed on multiple dimensions through parental report in a survey conducted with 196 homeless families in 10 shelters in Los Angeles and 194 housed poor families after March 1987 through January 1988. During the month before the survey, the homeless and housed poor children experienced high rates of illness symptoms, disability, and bed days. Homeless and housed poor children were frequently rated by their parents to be in fair or poor health (17% vs 13%, P = .14). Homeless children, however, were reported to have more behavior problems and school failure [30% vs 18%, P = .06] than housed poor children. Homeless children also had high rates of other health problems such as developmental delay (9%) and overweight (13%). The diets of homeless children were frequently imbalanced, dependent on food from "fast-food" restaurants, and characterized by repeated periods of deprivation. Family problems were more common among homeless families, especially among single-parent homeless families compared with single-parent housed families (spousal abuse, 68% vs 41%, P less than .01; parental drug and alcohol abuse, 60% vs 39%, P less than .01). It is concluded that homeless children have significant child behavior and developmental problems and disorders of nutrition and growth, which are associated with multiple risk factors in their environment.