Table 1.
Diagnoses Treated at VAGLA Among Participantsa by Housing Status.
| Diagnosesb | Unadjusted |
Adjustedc |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VASH Veterans (n = 1904) (% treated) | Currently Homeless Veterans (n = 1727) (% treated) | Total (N = 3631) (% treated) | P Valued | VASH Veterans, Adjusted Odds Ratio | 95% Confidence Interval | |
| Chronic physical illness | ||||||
| At least 1 listed chronic physical illness | 71.3 | 48.6 | 60.5 | .000 | 2.5 | 2.1-2.9 |
| Arthropathies | 25.5 | 12.0 | 19.1 | .000 | 2.4 | 2.0-2.8 |
| Asthma | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.5 | .026 | 1.7 | 1.0-3.1 |
| Benign neoplasms | 3.9 | 2.2 | 3.1 | .003 | 1.7 | 1.2-2.6 |
| Cancer | 4.4 | 2.7 | 3.6 | .005 | 1.9 | 1.3-2.8 |
| Chronic pain | 41.4 | 22.9 | 32.6 | .000 | 2.2 | 1.9-2.6 |
| Congestive heart failuree,f | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | .029 | 2.6 | 1.2-5.8 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 5.6 | 2.7 | 4.2 | .000 | 2.2 | 1.5-3.1 |
| Coronary artery disease | 5.6 | 3.7 | 4.7 | .007 | 1.6 | 1.1-2.3 |
| Diabetes | 13.8 | 10.9 | 12.4 | .009 | 1.4 | 1.1-1.7 |
| Glaucoma | 5.3 | 2.9 | 4.1 | .000 | 1.9 | 1.3, 2.7 |
| Hepatitis C | 10.2 | 5.9 | 8.2 | .000 | 1.8 | 1.4-2.3 |
| HIV/AIDSe | 2.2 | 0.9 | 1.6 | .003 | 2.2 | 1.2-4.0 |
| Hypertension | 24.6 | 16.4 | 20.7 | .000 | 1.6 | 1.3-1.9 |
| Obesity | 9.0 | 3.5 | 6.4 | .000 | 2.6 | 1.9-3.6 |
| Tuberculosis | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.4 | .009 | 1.9 | 1.0-3.5 |
| Acute physical illness | ||||||
| At least 1 listed acute physical illness | 17.3 | 10.0 | 13.8 | .000 | 1.7 | 1.4-2.1 |
| Acute upper respiratory infection | 6.3 | 2.8 | 4.6 | .000 | 2.1 | 1.5-2.9 |
| Injuries | 7.0 | 4.3 | 5.7 | .000 | 1.6 | 1.2-2.2 |
| Skin/subcutaneous infections | 5.9 | 3.8 | 4.9 | .002 | 1.5 | 1.1-2.1 |
| Mental illness | ||||||
| At least 1 listed mental illness | 53.8 | 34.6 | 44.7 | .000 | 2.1 | 1.8-2.4 |
| Anxiety disorders (excluding PTSD) | 6.6 | 4.0 | 5.3 | .001 | 1.7 | 1.3-2.3 |
| Bipolar disorders | 9.9 | 5.6 | 7.8 | .000 | 1.8 | 1.4-2.3 |
| Depression | 26.2 | 14.1 | 20.4 | .000 | 2.0 | 1.6-2.3 |
| Psychotic disorders | 11.6 | 10.0 | 10.9 | .124 | 1.1 | 0.9-1.4 |
| PTSD | 20.7 | 10.7 | 16.0 | .000 | 2.4 | 1.9-2.9 |
| Substance use disorders | ||||||
| At least 1 listed substance use disorder | 30.9 | 18.4 | 25.0 | .000 | 1.8 | 1.5-2.1 |
| Alcohol-related disorders | 15.7 | 9.0 | 12.5 | .000 | 1.8 | 1.5-2.3 |
| Drug-related disorders | 24.7 | 13.7 | 19.5 | .000 | 1.9 | 1.6, 2.3 |
| Tobacco use disorder | 9.7 | 5.4 | 7.6 | .000 | 1.8 | 1.4-2.4 |
| Multimorbidity | ||||||
| At least 1 listed multi-morbidity | 51.6 | 27.9 | 40.3 | .000 | 2.6 | 2.2-3.0 |
| At least 1 listed chronic physical illness and mental illness | 42.7 | 21.7 | 32.7 | .000 | 2.6 | 2.2-3.0 |
| At least 1 listed chronic physical illness and SUDg | 25.5 | 11.4 | 18.8 | .000 | 2.4 | 2.0-2.9 |
| At least 1 listed mental illness and SUDg | 23.7 | 11.4 | 17.8 | .000 | 2.3 | 1.9-2.8 |
| Trimorbidity (at least 1 listed chronic physical illness, mental illness, and SUDg) | 20.1 | 8.3 | 14.5 | .000 | 2.6 | 2.1-3.2 |
Abbreviations: PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder; SUD, substance use disorders; VAGLA, VA Greater Los Angeles; VASH, VA Supported Housing.
Among homeless-experienced Veterans with at least 1 VAGLA ambulatory care visit between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011.
All statistical tests of differences are significant at P < .05 with the exception of psychotic disorders.
Multivariate logistic regression, with reference group of currently homeless Veterans (n = 1727), adjusting for predisposing (age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status) and need (diagnostic cost group [DCG], presence of a service connected disability, and severity of service connected disability) characteristics.
P values were calculated using the chi-square test
No females received treatment for these diagnoses, so females were dropped from the regression model, resulting in a smaller sample size (N = 3376).
In regression analyses, marital status and race/ethnicity categories were collinear and thus collapsed.
In multimorbidity analyses, SUD was defined as alcohol or drug use disorder only, excluding tobacco use disorder.