The Effect of Neighborhood Residence on Health Outcomes

St. Thomas Housing Projects - New Orleans, LA circa 2004
Source: Reuters.com

St. Thomas Housing Projects - New Orleans, LA circa 2009
Source: Jeffrey Murrell, seabrite.com

"The health consequences of neighborhood poverty are a public health problem." -- Dr. Tama Levanthal

Data shows that neighborhood residence affects physical and mental health outcomes. Individuals who grow up in or move to to high-opportunity, low-poverty neighborhoods are less likely to face physical and mental health issues whereas those living in low-opportunity, high-poverty neighborhoods have higher incidences of poor physical and mental health outcomes (Levanthal,1). This theory was tested in Moving to Opportunity (MTO), an experiment designed and implemented by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In the experiment, volunteer families living in public and assisted housing projects n Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York were randomly assigned to one of three one of three treatment groups: the experimental group, the comparison group, and the control group. The experimental group received housing vouchers for one year that could only be used in low-poverty neighborhoods; the comparison group received regular housing vouchers that could be used in any neighborhood; and the control group remained in the housing projects. Results from the study showed that MTO experimental families enjoyed significantly better health outcomes than the control group.

The results from this study are consistent with previous research that indicates that neighborhood environment matters for low-income youth and adults. The MTO study found significant relationships between neighborhood opportunity and individual health outcomes. In general, those living in high-opportunity neighborhoods experienced less obesity, asthma, and fewer physical health problems than those living in low-opportunity neighborhoods.

This clear and convincing evidence that neighborhood affects long-term health outcomes indicates the need for viable strategies to provide low-income youth with access to the resources afforded to youth in high-opportunity neighborhoods. Cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, and Dallas have already begun to work toward this goal through regional mobility programs such as the Housing Choice Voucher program which provides counseling and related support and assistance to help low income families navigate the housing market and find the best home for them. These programs' successes exemplify the potential progress that can be made when law and policy makers, experts, and advocates collaborate to do meaningful work aimed at eradicating the social determinants of health that plague underserved communities.

Sources
Julian, Elizabeth (2015). Mobility Works America. Poverty and Race, 24(04), 1 - 2.
Leventhal, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2003). Moving to Opportunity: an Experimental Study of 
        Neighborhood Effects on Mental Health. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1576–1582.