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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Daniel R. Brooks, DSc¹, Eleni Digenis-Bury, MPH², Leslie Chen, BS², Mary Ostrem, DrPH², and C. Robert Horsburgh, MD¹. (1) Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Talbot 317E, Boston, MA 02118, (2) Research Office, Boston Public Health Commission, 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02118, 617-534-2397, Mary_Ostrem@bphc.org

Public housing residents (PHRs) comprise a significant proportion of the population in many cities, and are more likely to be poor and members of racial/ethnic minorities, factors frequently associated with poorer health. However, it has been difficult for local health departments to collect information from representative samples of PHRs. In 2001 and 2003, the Boston Public Health Commission, in collaboration with the Partners in Health and Housing Prevention Research Center, added a question to identify PHRs to its biennial telephone health survey. Surveys were conducted with 2,919 adult residents aggregated over both years. Approximately 10% of Boston residents are PHRs, and 10.9% of survey respondents identified themselves as PHRs. We compared the prevalence of various health conditions, access and utilization measures, and health behaviors between PHRs and other residents. Compared to other residents, PHRs were substantially more likely to report poorer overall health status, diabetes, asthma, obesity, disability, loss of >5 teeth, and feelings of depression. Adjustment for race/ethnicity, education, and income explained most, but not all, of the elevated risk. In contrast, PHRs fared as well as other residents on health insurance and preventive care measures, with the exception of dental visits. PHRs had higher rates of certain at-risk health behaviors (e.g., smoking), but lower rates of others (e.g., binge drinking). The picture of the health of PHRs that emerges from our survey is more complex than perhaps commonly assumed. The approach described here represents a useful and cost-effective method for surveillance among an important, and potentially vulnerable, population.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Identify differences and similarities in health status, access and utilization, and health behaviors between public housing residents and other community residents.
• Describe the strengths and weaknesses of general population surveys as a tool for local health departments to assess the health of public housing residents.

Keywords: Survey, Public Housing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation