Mobility Opportunity Vouchers to Eliminate Diabetes and obesity (MOVED)

Examining whether HUD’s new mobility program leads to changes in health.

Background: The federal government’s Community Choice Demonstration is a large scale, randomized controlled trial that seeks to test strategies that help low-income households move to low poverty neighborhoods. The Demonstration, which seeks to enroll nearly 10,000 families across approximately 8 sites, offers an unparalleled opportunity to both study the health impacts of housing mobility programs and uncover mechanisms through which housing impacts health and well-being.

Approach: The Mobility Opportunity Vouchers to Eliminate Diabetes and obesity (MOVED) Study will recruit approximately 900 households enrolled in the Demonstration from three sites. We will conduct baseline and 2-year follow-up in-person surveys to investigate the extent to which the receipt of comprehensive mobility services is associated with changes in health. The grant’s focus is on obesity and diabetes risk given the prevalence of these conditions together with prior research showing the benefits of housing mobility to reduce their burden.

Study team: The study team is led by Craig Pollack and includes Matthew Eisenberg, Erin Hager, Alyssa Moran, Rachel Deitch, Stefanie DeLuca, Sabriya Linton, and Eliana Perrin.

Funding: The research is supported by a grant from National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01DK136610)