Relationship between non-communicable diseases and background characteristics among homeless people in Nagoya City, Japan

Abstract

Background There are few reports that objectively show actual health conditions among the homeless or diagnoses of non-communicable diseases based on blood tests. This report discloses the actual data from blood tests and non-communicable diseases among the participants. Furthermore, associations between the test values for lifestyle-related disease and mental disorder/intellectual disability, as well as personal backgrounds of homeless people, were analyzed from the data gathered in the survey. Methods This study was performed in a rented meeting room close to Nagoya Station on November 2, 2014. Blood samples, physical measurements, blood pressure measurements intellectual faculties were measured. Physical/mental diseases were diagnosed by doctors. Fisher’s exact test was performed to compare between subgroups (by participants’ socio-demographic data or the presence of mental illness/cognitive disability) according to non-communicable disease test values, and to calculate the odds ratio. Results Abnormalities among participants in test values for non-communicable disease were as follows: hypoalbuminemia in one participant (0.9%), abnormalities in liver function in 22 participants (19.3%), decreased renal function in two participants (1.8%), dyslipidemia in 67 participants (58.8%), "a person whose impaired glucose tolerance cannot be ruled out" in 20 participants (17.5%), obesity in 33 participants (28.9%), thinness in five participants (4.3%), and hypertension in 60 participants (52.6%). Compared to the National health and nutrition survey 2015, non-communicable diseases of the homeless people were similar or slightly better than in the general population in Japan. Participants aged 20–39 years had a significant positive tendency of having liver function abnormality compared to ≥60 years old participants. There was no significant tendency with socio-demographic characteristics in dyslipidemia and “impaired glucose tolerance”. Conclusion It was found that the percentage of homeless people in Nagoya who showed abnormalities of lifestyle-related disease was similar or better than that of general population in Japan.