{
  "abstract": "Background Research has shown that 44% of homeless women screened positive for hazardous alcohol consumption. There is a paucity of gender-specific research on how to address alcohol addiction issues in women, particularly in this high-risk group. There is prospect for intervention to assist homeless women in reducing harmful alcohol consumption, however effective interventions for this population are not well researched.Methods Three databases (OVID Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science) were systematically searched. Included papers reported quantitative measures of effect for interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in adult women experiencing homelessness. Interventions not specifically targeted at women were included, if the results were separated by gender. 3,222 papers were screened. 166 papers were considered at full text, of which six met the inclusion criteria.Results Included papers were randomised controlled trials (4) and quasi-experimental non-randomised studies (2). Due to high heterogeneity, narrative synthesis was used. Interventions were grouped into three: Housing and Supportive Services (HSS) (2), Behavioural Therapeutic and Educational (BTE) (2) and Multi-Component (MC) (2). One HSS intervention showed no effect, and one showed a significant decrease in alcohol consumption (13.6% decrease vs 5.9% in control). One BTE intervention showed no effect, and one showed a significant increase in abstinence (39.4% increase vs 2.9% decrease in control). MC interventions were the most effective, ranging from 57-100% decrease in alcohol consumption in the intervention group.Conclusion High heterogeneity between interventions made it difficult to identify the most effective components. Although evidence is sparse, it suggests that interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in homeless women can be effective. This is important as harmful alcohol consumption in women is given less prominence. Further research is required to understand effective components of interventions. Moreover, studies focusing on homeless populations should endeavour to report results by gender, so inequalities can be understood and addressed.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Southampton, Southampton, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Shreya Sheth"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Southampton, Southampton, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Kate Glyn-Owen"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P18-3 A systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in women experiencing homelessness",
  "uid": "13bde265-5e3a-564a-957c-539c91e487af"
}