The interaction between housing and health is intimate and complex, yet little evidence exists with regard to the healthcare outcomes for people struggling to survive without housing. The study in this issue by Lee and colleagues not only exposes a resounding need for community-wide interventions to improve the cardiovascular health of homeless adults but also underscores the vexing challenges confronting researchers investigating the health disparities attendant to homelessness.
Risk factors for cardiovascular (CV) disease are potentially treatable targets in the prevention of morbidity and premature death in this high-risk subpopulation. The study by Lee et al shows, however, that CV risk factors and CV disease itself in homeless adults in Toronto are grossly undertreated. The authors report the prevalence and treatment of major CV risk factors in adults living in emergency shelters and compare these to the general population.