Barriers to healthcare of homeless residents of three Honolulu shelters.

Abstract

In Honolulu, health insurance rates amongst the homeless are one of the highest in the nation, yet significant health care needs are still unmet. In a previous model, health care barriers have been divided into four domains: bureaucratic, personal, programmatic, and financial. This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with the domains of health care barriers amongst the study's sample of 128 subjects across three Honolulu homeless shelters. Univariate models revealed health care barriers; but only the lack of health insurance was a significant financial barrier to health care in multivariate analyses (Odds ratio: 2.12; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.09-4.16). The identification of barriers should guide how health care programs approach Honolulu's homeless population to better serve their health care needs.