Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34871417›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal of epidemiology2022

Mortality among rough sleepers, squatters, residents of homeless shelters or hotels and sofa-surfers: a pooled analysis of UK birth cohorts.

James White, Meg Fluharty, Rosa de Groot, Steven Bell, G David Batty

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal of epidemiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

James WhiteCentre for Trials Research, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8371-8453
Meg FluhartyBehavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, University College London, London, UK.
Rosa de GrootDepartment of Donor Medicine Research-Donor Studies, Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Department of Epidemiology and Data science, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Steven BellDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
G David BattyDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
University College London · GBCardiff University · GBSanquin · NLUniversity of Cambridge · GB

Funding

Healthy transitions from mid-life to early older age: biomedical follow-up of 1958 Birth Cohort Study members at age 60R01AG052519 · NIA · UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON · PI BATTY, DAVID, GOODMAN, ALISSA · 2017 to 2021
$1.9M
Healthy transitions from mid-life to early older age: biomedical follow-up of 1958 Birth Cohort Study members at age 60R56AG052519 · NIA · UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON · PI BATTY, DAVID, GOODMAN, ALISSA · 2016 to 2016
$500k
British Heart Foundation RG/4/32218Economic and Social Research Council ES/K000357/1Medical Research Council MR/K023233/1Medical Research Council MR/P023444/1NIA NIH HHS R01 AG052519NIA NIH HHS R56 AG052519Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHomelessness encompasses a wide spectrum of experience. Rough sleepers and people attending homeless shelters have been found to be at an increased risk of mortality. It is unclear whether risks are also elevated in those squatting, living temporarily in low-cost hotels or 'sofa-surfing' with friends or family members. This study examines mortality in a representative nationwide sample of people who have slept rough, squatted, lived in shelters or low-cost hotels and sofa-surfed.

methodsUsing unpublished data from two national birth cohorts, namely the National Child Development Study and the 1970 British Birth Cohort study, Cox proportional-hazards models and random-effects meta-analyses were used to analyse associations between homelessness and different types of homeless experience (rough sleeping, squatting, staying in a homeless shelter or low-cost hotel, and sofa-surfing) and mortality.

resultsOut of the 23 678 participants, 1444 (6.1%) reported having been homeless and 805 (3.4%) deaths occurred. Homelessness was associated with an increased risk of mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 1.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-2.26]. Mortality risk was raised across the spectrum of homeless experience, from sleeping rough (HR 4.71, 95% CI 2.38-9.30), to squatting (HR 6.35, 95% CI 2.73-14.75), staying in a homeless shelter (HR 4.89, 95% CI 2.36-10.11), staying in a low-cost hotel (HR 3.38, 95% CI 1.30-8.79 through to sofa-surfing (HR 2.86, 95% CI 1.84-4.42). Associations remained after separate control for socio-economic status, mental health, substance use, accidents and assaults, and criminality.

conclusionsMortality rates were raised across all types of homeless experience. This included squatting and sofa-surfing that have not previously been reported. Studies that have omitted the less severe, but more prevalent, use of low-cost hotels and sofa-surfing may have underestimated the impacts of homelessness on mortality.

Indexed as

Ill-Housed PersonsTransients and MigrantsBirth CohortChildCohort StudiesHumansUnited Kingdomcohort studyHomelessnessmortalitysofa-surfingsquatting

Identifiers

PMID34871417
PMCPMC9189982
OpenAlexW4200499238

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.