The role of stable housing as a determinant of poverty-related quality of life in vulnerable individuals

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify potential socio-demographic and socio-economic determinants associated with quality of life (QoL) in impoverished individuals admitted in emergency departments (EDs) using a self-administered multidimensional poverty-related QoL questionnaire (PQoL) and a generic QoL questionnaire (Duke). Design: cross-sectional study. Setting: Ten EDs in France. Participants: All participants included in this study lived in impoverished conditions. Intervention and outcome measures: We collected socio-demographic information, economic data, and data related to the ED visit. Multiple linear regressions were performed to determine which variables were linked to QoL scores. Results: Three-hundred and eighty-seven individualswere enrolled, and 378 (98%) responded to the QoL questionnaires. PQoL was significantly lower for single individuals (β from -0.15 to -0.23), without a stable home (β from -0.17 to -0.34) and individuals without general health coverage (β = 0.20). Compared with men, women reported lower scores in the psychological well-being dimension (β = -0.19) and higher scores in the relationships with friends dimension (β = 0.17). Conclusions: Not having stable housing was the most important factor associated with low QoL in impoverished people. This finding demonstrates the need for support from policymakers at the national and local levels for these vulnerable populations.