Studies from Ohio State University Further Understanding of Health Insurance (Healthcare Barriers and Utilization Among Adolescents and Young Adults…

Studies from Ohio State University Further Understanding of Health Insurance (Healthcare Barriers and Utilization Among Adolescents and Young Adults Accessing Services for Homeless and Runaway Youth)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Managed Care Weekly Digest -- New research on Health Insurance is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating in Columbus, Ohio, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, "Homeless and runaway youth are at disproportionate risk for adverse health outcomes. Many barriers to accessing healthcare have been documented; however, the relative impact of discrete barriers on homeless youth healthcare utilization behavior is not firmly established."

Financial support for this research came from Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Ohio State University (see also Health Insurance).

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Ohio State University, "We administered a survey examining reported barriers and healthcare utilization among adolescents and young adults accessing services at three community centers for homeless and runaway youth. Of 180 respondents, 57 % were male, 80 % non-White, and 21 % identified as a sexual minority. Stepwise logistic regression models, controlling for age and study site, explored associations between barriers and 3 healthcare utilization outcomes (doctor visit in past 12 months; regular care provider; frequent emergency department (ED) visits). The most commonly reported barriers were 'don't have a ride' (27.2 %), 'no insurance' (23.3 %), and 'costs too much' (22.8 %). All fear-based barriers (e.g., 'I don't trust the doctors') were reported by < 5 % of surveyed youth. Significant predictors of having seen a doctor in the past 12 months included sexual minority status (OR 2.8, p = 0.04) and possession of health insurance (OR 4.9, p< 0.001). Female sex (OR 5.2, p< 0.001) and reported external barriers other than health insurance (OR 0.2, p< 0.001) were associated with having a regular care provider. Fear-based concerns were associated (OR 3.8, p = 0.02) with frequent ED visits, as was being insured (OR 2.2, p = 0.03)."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "These results underscore the need to clearly define healthcare outcomes when investigating barriers to care among homeless and runaway youth as the impact of discrete barriers varies depending on outcome of focus."

For more information on this research see: Healthcare Barriers and Utilization Among Adolescents and Young Adults Accessing Services for Homeless and Runaway Youth. Journal of Community Health, 2017;42(3):437-443. Journal of Community Health can be contacted at: Springer, 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013, USA. (Springer - www.springer.com; Journal of Community Health - www.springerlink.com/content/0094-5145/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting G. Chelvakumar, Ohio State University, Coll Med, Columbus, OH 43210, United States. Additional authors for this research include N. Ford, H.M. Kapa, H.L.H. Lange, A.L. Mcree and A.E. Bonny.

Keywords for this news article include: Columbus, Ohio, United States, North and Central America, Health Insurance, Ohio State University.

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