UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

The attitudes of homeless women in London towards contraception

Shah, P; Koch, T; Singh, S; (2019) The attitudes of homeless women in London towards contraception. Primary Health Care Research & Development , 20 , Article e131. 10.1017/S1463423619000665. Green open access

[thumbnail of Singh_The attitudes of homeless women in London towards contraception_VoR.pdf]
Preview
Text
Singh_The attitudes of homeless women in London towards contraception_VoR.pdf - Published Version

Download (243kB) | Preview

Abstract

AIM: To gain a clearer understanding of the attitudes of homeless women towards contraception in central London. BACKGROUND: Homeless women are more vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. This makes it imperative to address the health needs of this population. Evidence regarding the obstacles homeless women face when using contraception and accessing sexual/reproductive care is sparse, and almost non-existent in the United Kingdom (UK). American research has identified past experiences of women suffering side effects and their fear of serious health risks as deterrents of sustained contraceptive use among this population. METHOD: This study used convenience sampling and semi-structured face-to-face interviews. During the interview, a topic guide was used to ensure data relevant to the study aim were being collected. In total, 14 English-speaking women, previously street homeless and/or living in temporary accommodation from two homeless shelters located in central London, were interviewed. FINDINGS: In summary, the results suggest this group of study respondents find ongoing access to advice on contraception services difficult largely because of their homelessness. This pre-eminent factor alongside their vulnerability inevitably means that other issues take precedence on a daily basis. Furthermore, issues such as individual choice of contraception and the perceptions of this group of women to health professionals ultimately determine whether women receive the services they need. Bearing in mind the paucity of studies in this area of homelessness, the results point to the need for more research and to the allied question 'how is it best to provide contraceptive services to those women who find themselves homeless?'

Type: Article
Title: The attitudes of homeless women in London towards contraception
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1017/S1463423619000665
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1463423619000665
Language: English
Additional information: his is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: London, contraception, homeless, vulnerable, women
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Primary Care and Population Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10082284
Downloads since deposit
162Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item