TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring Foot Care Conditions for People Experiencing Homelessness
T2 - A Community Participatory Approach
AU - D’Souza, Melba Sheila
AU - O’Mahony, Joyce
AU - Achoba, Alfred
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Thompson Rivers University Community Driven Research Fund Award: 102152/2019. The sponsors played no role in the design, execution, analysis, data interpretation, writing reports, or decision to submit the paper for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - Introduction: People experiencing homelessness are faced with complex challenges and are at high risk of illness due to inequities and disparities in access to health care services. Objective: To explore the health and foot care problems related to people experiencing homelessness in British Columbia. Methods: A community participatory research approach was used with a sample of 65 people experiencing homelessness. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire and face-to-face semistructured interviews. Results: Thematic findings shows risk of foot injuries, lack of foot care resources, and absence of family support. Barriers to equitable access to services for most participants experiencing homelessness were lack of housing (76.92%), inability to work (72.31%), and inability to afford the cost of living on their own (63.08%). Conclusions: There is a pressing need for early screening and detection by health care professionals and enhanced foot care services to reduce foot problems and improve foot care wellness of homeless people. Addressing foot-related care are necessary steps in promoting health, preventing illness, and improving access to health services among people experiencing homelessness.
AB - Introduction: People experiencing homelessness are faced with complex challenges and are at high risk of illness due to inequities and disparities in access to health care services. Objective: To explore the health and foot care problems related to people experiencing homelessness in British Columbia. Methods: A community participatory research approach was used with a sample of 65 people experiencing homelessness. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire and face-to-face semistructured interviews. Results: Thematic findings shows risk of foot injuries, lack of foot care resources, and absence of family support. Barriers to equitable access to services for most participants experiencing homelessness were lack of housing (76.92%), inability to work (72.31%), and inability to afford the cost of living on their own (63.08%). Conclusions: There is a pressing need for early screening and detection by health care professionals and enhanced foot care services to reduce foot problems and improve foot care wellness of homeless people. Addressing foot-related care are necessary steps in promoting health, preventing illness, and improving access to health services among people experiencing homelessness.
KW - access to care
KW - community health
KW - emergency visits
KW - health outcomes
KW - primary care
KW - underserved communities
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U2 - 10.1177/21501319211065247
DO - 10.1177/21501319211065247
M3 - Article
C2 - 35090358
AN - SCOPUS:85123877032
SN - 2150-1319
VL - 13
JO - Journal of Primary Care and Community Health
JF - Journal of Primary Care and Community Health
ER -