Quality of life themes in Canadian adults and street youth who are homeless or hard-to-house: a multi-site focus group study.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to identify what is most important to the quality of life (QoL) of those who experience homelessness by directly soliciting the views of homeless and hard-to-house Canadians themselves. These individuals live within a unique social context that differs considerably from that of the general population. To understand the life areas that are most important to them, it is critical to have direct input from target populations of homeless and hard-to-house persons.


METHODS
Focus groups were conducted with 140 individuals aged 15 to 73 years who were homeless or hard-to-house to explore the circumstances in which they were living and to capture what they find to be important and relevant domains of QoL. Participants were recruited in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver. Content analysis was used to analyze the data.


RESULTS
Six major content themes emerged: Health/health care; Living conditions; Financial situation; Employment situation; Relationships; and Recreational and leisure activities. These themes were linked to broader concepts that included having choices, stability, respect, and the same rights as other members of society.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings not only aid our understanding of QoL in this group, but may be used to develop measures that capture QoL in this population and help programs and policies become more effective in improving the life situation for persons who are homeless and hard-to-house. Quality of life themes in Canadian adults and street youth who are homeless or hard-to-house: A multi-site focus group study.
Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, St, Paul's Hospital & University of British Columbia, 620B-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada. anita@hivnet.ubc.ca
Anita
A
Palepu
Anita M
AM
Hubley
Lara B
LB
Russell
Anne M
AM
Gadermann
Mary
M
Chinni
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002170:Canada; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal; D017144:Focus Groups; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D018453:Homeless Youth / Q000523:psychology*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011788:Quality of Life; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012947:Social Work; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires