Value on health, health concerns and practices of women who are homeless

The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is women, many of wh om have inadequately addressed health needs. Descriptive studies have captu red the realities of homeless life that these women face from acquiring foo d and shelter to caring for their health. Few studies have examined the fac tors that are associated with the health-related behaviors of homeless wome n. This study adds to the homeless health behavior literature by investigat ing the importance of competing values in determining health-related practi ces in 105 homeless women, Health concerns (but not global value on health) were associated with basic health practices and health preventive/protecti ve behaviors (e.g., brushing teeth, showering, being up-to-date on Pap smea rs). Women who reported greater importance attached to health concerns were more likely to report basic health practices and some preventive health be haviors. Implications for intervention and future research are discussed. ( C) 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.