Mortality in a Cohort of Homeless Adults in Philadelphia

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 331; no. 5; pp. 304 - 309
• Main Authors: Hibbs, Jonathan R, Benner, Lawrence, Klugman, Lawrence, Spencer, Robert, Macchia, Irene, Mellinger, Anne K, Fife, Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 04-08-1994
• Subjects: Accuracy; Adolescent; Adult; Age; Aged; Analysis. Health state; Biological and medical sciences; Cause of Death; Confidence Intervals; Coronary artery disease; Death; Disease control; Epidemiology; Ethnic Groups - statistics & numerical data; Female; General aspects; Heart diseases; Homeless people; Homeless Persons - statistics & numerical data; Homelessness; Housing; Humans; Intellectual disabilities; Liver diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Mental health; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Mortality; Mortality Rates; Names; Philadelphia - epidemiology; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Population; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk; Social security numbers; Sociodemographic Factors; United States; North America; America; Philadelphia; United States > US; Philadelphia Pennsylvania; Human; Urban environment; Socioeconomic status; No fixed abode; Mortality; Risk factor; Epidemiology; Public health; Americas; Residence Characteristics; Differential Mortality; United States; Homeless Persons; North America; Pennsylvania; Geographic Factors; Northern America; Developed Countries; Population; Demographic Factors; Population Dynamics; Spatial Distribution
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199408043310506

Between 250,000 and 3 million people in the United States are homeless
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. Their health problems are difficult to characterize because truly representative samples of the homeless population have not been identified
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Homeless people are especially likely to die from a variety of preventable causes. Homelessness is associated with substance abuse and psychiatric illnesses,
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which are in turn associated with multiple health risks. Many homeless people lack health insurance,
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obtain medical care sporadically,
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and are undertreated for common medical problems
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. They are also at high risk for injuries
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, . . .