How Does the Health of Public Housing Residents Compare With the Rest of the Population? A Survey of OMHTR Residents

This study aimed to investigate the physical health, mental health, health-related behaviors, life satisfaction, and health care utilization of Office municipal d'habitation de Trois-Rivières (OMHTR) public housing residents compared with those of residents of the Mauricie region in Quebec. We administered a reduced version of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) to 150 OMHTR residents between July and November 2019, and compared the data with aggregated data from the 2018 CCHS for the Mauricie region using multivariable logistic regression. Results revealed significant disparities in health outcomes and service utilization patterns. OMHTR residents had higher odds of poor physical, oral, and mental health, along with dissatisfaction across various life domains. They also showed increased likelihood of seeking health care for mental health issues and reported injuries within the past year. These findings highlight considerable disparities in health outcomes and access to health care between OMHTR residents and their regional counterparts.