Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MA
Persons experiencing homelessness in the United States experience significant barriers to self-care and personal hygiene, including limited access to clean showers, laundry and hand washing facilities. While the obstacles to personal hygiene associated with homelessness may increase risk of infectio...
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doaj-8581c58eb4d048a1a3de4ea1668a60412020-11-25T00:53:14ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1660-46012017-08-0114892810.3390/ijerph14080928ijerph14080928Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MAJessica H. Leibler0Daniel D. Nguyen1Casey León2Jessie M. Gaeta3Debora Perez4Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St, T430W, Boston, MA 02118, USADepartment of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St, T430W, Boston, MA 02118, USABoston Health Care for the Homeless Program, 780 Albany St. Boston, MA 02118, USABoston Health Care for the Homeless Program, 780 Albany St. Boston, MA 02118, USADepartment of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St, T430W, Boston, MA 02118, USAPersons experiencing homelessness in the United States experience significant barriers to self-care and personal hygiene, including limited access to clean showers, laundry and hand washing facilities. While the obstacles to personal hygiene associated with homelessness may increase risk of infectious disease, hygiene-related behaviors among people experiencing homelessness has received limited attention. We conducted a cross-sectional study of individuals experiencing homelessness in Boston, MA (n = 194) to identify hygiene-related self-care practices and risk factors for reduced hygiene in this population. Most participants (72%) reported taking a daily shower. More than 60% reported hand washing with soap five or more times each day, and use of hand sanitizer was widespread (89% reported using sanitizer in the last week). A majority (86%) used a laundromat or laundry machine to wash clothing, while 14% reported washing clothing in the sink. Heavy drinking, injection drug use, and sleeping outdoors were identified as significant risk factors for reduced hygiene practices. People experiencing homelessness who also engage in these activities may be among the most difficult to reach for intervention, yet targeted efforts may decrease illness risk associated with reduced hygiene. Housed friends and family play a critical role in assisting homeless individuals maintain hygiene by providing showers and laundry facilities.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/8/928homelesshygienesanitationstreet peoplehand hygieneself-care |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jessica H. Leibler Daniel D. Nguyen Casey León Jessie M. Gaeta Debora Perez |
spellingShingle |
Jessica H. Leibler Daniel D. Nguyen Casey León Jessie M. Gaeta Debora Perez Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MA International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health homeless hygiene sanitation street people hand hygiene self-care |
author_facet |
Jessica H. Leibler Daniel D. Nguyen Casey León Jessie M. Gaeta Debora Perez |
author_sort |
Jessica H. Leibler |
title |
Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MA |
title_short |
Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MA |
title_full |
Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MA |
title_fullStr |
Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MA |
title_full_unstemmed |
Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MA |
title_sort |
personal hygiene practices among urban homeless persons in boston, ma |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
issn |
1660-4601 |
publishDate |
2017-08-01 |
description |
Persons experiencing homelessness in the United States experience significant barriers to self-care and personal hygiene, including limited access to clean showers, laundry and hand washing facilities. While the obstacles to personal hygiene associated with homelessness may increase risk of infectious disease, hygiene-related behaviors among people experiencing homelessness has received limited attention. We conducted a cross-sectional study of individuals experiencing homelessness in Boston, MA (n = 194) to identify hygiene-related self-care practices and risk factors for reduced hygiene in this population. Most participants (72%) reported taking a daily shower. More than 60% reported hand washing with soap five or more times each day, and use of hand sanitizer was widespread (89% reported using sanitizer in the last week). A majority (86%) used a laundromat or laundry machine to wash clothing, while 14% reported washing clothing in the sink. Heavy drinking, injection drug use, and sleeping outdoors were identified as significant risk factors for reduced hygiene practices. People experiencing homelessness who also engage in these activities may be among the most difficult to reach for intervention, yet targeted efforts may decrease illness risk associated with reduced hygiene. Housed friends and family play a critical role in assisting homeless individuals maintain hygiene by providing showers and laundry facilities. |
topic |
homeless hygiene sanitation street people hand hygiene self-care |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/8/928 |
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