Baseline characteristics of homeless in Helsinki and control group (N=1857) year 2004
| Homeless, n=617 | Control, n=1240 | p Value | |
| Age, mean (SD) (years) | 49 (11) | 49 (11) | * |
| Age group, n (%) | * | ||
| 18–34 years | 71 (11.5) | 143 (11.5) | |
| 35–49 years | 237 (38.4) | 471 (38.0) | |
| 50–64 years | 259 (42.0) | 524 (42.3) | |
| 65–78 years | 50 (8.1) | 102 (8.2) | |
| Marital status, n (%) | |||
| Married or in registered partnership | 33 (5.3) | 649 (52.3) | <0.001 |
| Not married (including single, divorced and widowed) | 584 (94.7) | 591 (47.7) | <0.001 |
| Education years, mean (SD) | 10.3 (1.9) | 12.7 (3.3) | <0.001 |
| Only basic level, n (%) | 390 (63.2) | 379 (30.6) | <0.001 |
| More than basic level education | 227 (36.8) | 861 (69.4) | |
| Employment status, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Employed (including students) | 33 (5.3) | 824 (66.5) | |
| Not employed (including unemployed, on pension and income unknown) | 584 (94.7) | 416 (33.5) | |
| Health service use 6 months prior to baseline | |||
| Hospitalisation days, mean (SD) | |||
| Total hospitalisation days | 5.5 (18.1) | 1.2 (12.0) | <0.001 |
| SUDs (ICD-10: F10–F19) | 1.1 (5.9) | 0.01 (0.3) | <0.001 |
| Psychiatric diagnosis (excluding SUDs) | 1.7 (10.9) | 0.7 (10.5) | <0.001 |
| Trauma (ICD-10: S-T) | 1.1 (8.3) | 0.1 (1.1) | <0.001 |
| Other diagnosis | 1.7 (8.2) | 0.4 (5.8) | <0.001 |
| Outpatient visits to specialised care, mean (SD) | 0.4 (1.5) | 0.4 (2.6) | 0.97 |
| Emergency room visits, mean (SD) | 0.8 (1.6) | 0.1 (0.4) | <0.001 |
*Matching criteria.
ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision; SUD, substance use disorder.