Research

Adherence

Relocation to redeveloped low-income housing reduces waist circumference and abdominal obesity, but does not significantly change BMI or overall obesity prevalence.

Moving to a better neighborhood isn't enough on its own; you likely need to move into better housing that facilitates healthier habits (like better kitchens or water quality). Focus on reducing added sugars, as this specific change was linked to waist reduction in this study.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
New JD residents experienced a decrease in waist circumference of about 2 cm or 2.2%... and a decrease in abdominal obesity by 10.6 percentage points... relative to the comparison group... There were no significant differences in BMI or waist circumference changes between JD residents... and the comparison group overall.
Tadeja Gračner et al. · Obesity · 2025

Why this rating

Quasi-experimental design with fixed effects and sensitivity analyses, but limited by sample size and self-reported behavioral data.

Source

Does Neighborhood Redevelopment Reduce Obesity? Evidence From Jordan Downs in Watts, Los Angeles

Tadeja Gračner et al. · Obesity · 2025

cohort · n=421Cited 1×
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