Development and validation of the Attitudes Towards the Homeless Questionnaire.
BACKGROUND
The homeless are a significant group within society, which is increasing in size. They have demonstrably greater physical and mental health needs than the housed, and yet often have difficulty accessing primary health care. Medical 'reluctance' to look after homeless people is increasingly suggested as part of the problem. Medical education may have a role in ameliorating this.


OBJECTIVE
This paper reports on the development and validation of a questionnaire specifically developed to measure medical students' attitudes towards the homeless.


RESULTS
The Attitudes Towards the Homeless Questionnaire, developed using the views of over 370 medical students, was shown to have a Pearson test-retest reliability correlation coefficient of 0.8 and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.74.


CONCLUSIONS
The Attitudes Towards the Homeless Questionnaire appears to be a valid and reliable instrument, which can measure students' attitudes towards the homeless. It could be a useful tool in assessing the effectiveness of educational interventions.
Lester
H E
HE
Department of General Practice, The Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Pattison
H M
HM
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006801:Humans; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*