Very-low income women who have the opportunity to move from high-poverty neighborhoods into lower poverty areas are significantly less likely to be extremely obese or to have diabetes. Those are among the key findings of a study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. An article in an upcoming issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) highlights the positive health findings, which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development previewed early October.

“Neighborhoods, Obesity, and Diabetes — A Randomized Social Experiment,” published in the October 20th issue of NEJM. The article looks at the long-term impact of housing mobility on obesity and diabetes from the HUD study Moving to Opportunity for Fair Housing Demonstration Program: Final Evaluation. HUD’s study tested the long-term health impacts of approximately 4,500 very low-income families living in public housing projects in high-poverty neighborhoods in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

The findings featured in the NEJM article showed that giving very poor families the opportunity to move to neighborhoods with lower poverty can have a positive impact on the physical health of adult women.

HUD began the Moving to Opportunity for Fair Housing Demonstration Program (MTO) in 1994 to examine the effect of neighborhood on low-income families with children. Approximately 4,600 very low-income families living in public housing projects in five large cities – Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York – enrolled in the demonstration.

During the study years, HUD released a number of analyses that revealed experiences of MTO participants. In 2003, HUD released “The Moving to Opportunity for Fair Housing Demonstration Interim Impacts Evaluation.” HUD will release the final report early November.