Gender differences among homeless people in Tehran, Iran

Aim: Gender differences among homeless people may affect the frequency of their risky behaviours. This study was conducted to evaluate the behaviour patterns of homeless men and women in Tehran and compare the probable differences. Subject and methods: In this study, 593 homeless people were recruited from five centres that house homeless people in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. A researcher-designed questionnaire was used to study behavioural patterns. Results: In this study, homeless people (513 males and 80 females, all Iranian nationals) were enrolled in the study from June to August 2012. Mean age and mean duration of homelessness among women (35.46 and 12.68 months) were lower than those among men (42.74 and 56.85 months) (p = 0.001). Although lifetime history of incarceration in men was higher than in women (p = 0.002), mean duration of imprisonment in the last 10 years in men (21.25 months) and women (17.76 months) was not statistically different (p = 0.07). Accommodation locality in the past 6 months varied between men and women. Women were current drug users more often than men were (61.53 % versus 45.26 %) (p = 0.02). The type of drug consumption in women (methamphetamine) differed from that of men (opium and heroin). More men had a history of injecting drugs than did women (30.02 % versus 12.30 %) (p = 0.003). Condom use at the last sexual encounter was reported to be higher in women compared to men (74.60 % versus 26.62 %) (p = 0.001). Conclusion: This study showed notable differences in behaviour patterns between homeless men and women and also indicated that homeless people in Tehran exhibit many risky behaviours. © 2014, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.