Brief Report: Characterizing the Burden of Cardiometabolic Disease among Public Housing Residents Served by an Urban Hospital System

Abstract

Objective: Housing status is a primary social determinant of health that is not typically not collected in clinical settings. Residential address data collected during clinical visits can identify patients at high-risk for cardio­metabolic disease (CMD) residing in public housing.Design: This study examined CMD and related risk factors among patients living in public housing and a comparison group not living in public housing.Setting: All patients (n=173,568) were receiving primary care in a large hospital system in the Bronx, New York between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017.Results: Patients in public housing were more likely to be women, to be Black or Hispanic, and to be on Medicaid compared with patients not living in public housing. Women in public housing were more likely than men to have had a higher prevalence of CMD and related risk factors.Conclusion: The burden of CMD among public housing residents shows sex disparities where women have a higher prevalence of CMD and related risk factors than men. Ethn Dis. 2019;29(3):463-468; doi:10.18865/ed.29.3.463

Chronic pediatric health conditions among youth living in public housing and receiving care in a large hospital system in Bronx, NY

“…Identifying the housing-related needs of young patients is a necessary step to developing clinical-community partnerships to improve health among residents. 9,43,44…”

“…Public housing is typically located in economically underserved and under resourced areas and generally characterized as a place of concentrated poverty with physical, social, and economic barriers to prioritizing health behaviors and managing chronic health conditions among residents. The prevalence of chronic illnesses like asthma, obesity, and heart disease among adults living in public housing (and other federally subsidized housing) 5 - 9 are higher than low-income residents not in public housing. Except for an extensive literature on asthma and lead poisoning, chronic conditions among children living in public housing are less frequently examined.…”

A natural experiment: The opening of a supermarket in a public housing community and impacts on children’s dietary patterns

“…Children living in public housing are a particularly interesting population with which to study this relationship, given their relatively high risk for chronic health conditions ( Caspi et al, 2012a , Caspi et al, 2012b , Chambers and Rehm, 2019 , Digenis-Bury et al, 2008 , Manjarrez et al, 2007 ), and the substantial barriers their households face in accessing healthy and affordable foods ( Bowen et al, 2018 , Gans et al, 2016 , Rogers et al, 2018 , Scammell et al, 2015 ). The Jordan Downs public housing redevelopment in the Watts neighborhood of South Los Angeles offers a unique opportunity to better understand this population ( Datar et al, 2022 ).…”

Heterogeneity in grocery shopping patterns among low-income minority women in public housing

“…The present study examines variability in grocery shopping patterns within low-income public housing communities in South Los Angeles. Public housing residents, who are predominantly female and racial/ethnic minorities, are at a particularly high risk for chronic health conditions [ 36 – 40 ]. Studies have suggested that a lack of access to healthy and affordable food may be an important barrier in public housing communities [ 27 , 28 , 41 , 42 ], especially among those who are even further constrained by lack of personal transportation [ 23 , 27 ].…”