Does Living in a Poor Neighborhood Harm Your Health?

A study conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1990s found that living in poor neighborhoods can actually hurt your health.

1 minute read

November 19, 2011, 11:00 AM PST

By Anonymous (not verified)


Itir Sonuparlak reads the report:

"Initially an effort to research whether moving impoverished families to more affluent neighborhoods could improve employment and schooling, the study found an interesting relationship between women's physical condition and their surrounding environment.

Ten years after the vouchers were distributed, women in the study gave blood samples and provided their weight. "About 16 percent of the women who moved had diabetes, compared with about 20 percent of women who stayed in public housing," the Associated Press reports. "And about 14 percent of those who left the projects were extremely obese, compared with nearly 18 percent of the other women," concluding that a person's risk of diabetes or extreme obesity dropped by about 20 percent when in a higher-income neighborhood.

The experiment targeted women living in public housing units in neighborhoods where 40 percent or more of the residents were considered poor. "

Thanks to Jeffrey Riecke

Thursday, November 17, 2011 in TheCityFix.com

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view of red brick multi-story power plant building in Pittsburgh, PA.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower

A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

July 4 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cyclist on protected bike lane in middle of street in Washington D.C. with Washington Monument obelisk visible in background.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”

The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

July 4 - Streetsblog USA

Blue and silver Amtrak train at small station.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train

The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

July 3 - New Orleans City Business