title: Correlates of frailty among homeless adults.
abstract: Frailty, a relatively unexplored concept among vulnerable populations, may be a significant issue for homeless adults. This cross-sectional study assessed correlates of frailty among middle age and older homeless adults (N = 150, 40-73). A Pearson (r) bivariate correlation revealed a weak relationship between frailty and being female (r = .230, p < .01). Significant moderate negative correlations were found between frailty and resilience (r = -.395, p < .01), social support (r = -.377, p < .01), and nutrition (r = -.652, p < .01). Furthermore, Spearman's rho (r s) bivariate correlations revealed a moderate positive relationship between frailty and health care utilization (r(s) = .444, p < .01). A stepwise backward linear regression analysis was conducted and in the final model, age, gender, health care utilization, nutrition, and resilience were significantly related to frailty. Over the next two decades, there is an anticipated increase in the number of homeless adults which will necessitate a greater understanding of the needs of this hard-to-reach population.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. bsalem@sonnet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Benissa E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.forename: Adeline M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nyamathi
authors.forename: Mary-Lynn
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Brecht
authors.forename: Linda R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Janet C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mentes
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sarkisian
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leake
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: frailty; health disparities; homeless; vulnerability