The study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, analyzed data from more than 11,000 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2016. The researchers linked the participants' addresses to historical redlining grades from the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC), which was a federal agency that created maps of neighborhoods in the 1930s and assigned them grades based on their perceived riskiness for lending.
The results showed that people who lived in neighborhoods that had been redlined had a higher risk of death from all causes, even after accounting for factors such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, education, income, and access to healthcare. For example, people who lived in neighborhoods that were graded "D" or "E" by the HOLC had a 13% higher risk of death from all causes than people who lived in neighborhoods that were graded "A" or "B."
The researchers also found that the association between redlining grades and death from all causes was strongest for African Americans and Hispanics. This is likely because these groups were disproportionately affected by redlining, which created barriers to homeownership and investment in communities of color.
"Our findings suggest that historical redlining grades may have had a lasting impact on the health of Americans," said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins, the lead author of the study. "This is an important finding, as it highlights the potential long-term consequences of discriminatory housing practices."
The researchers say that their findings have implications for public health policy. They argue that policies that address the legacy of redlining, such as increasing affordable housing and investing in communities of color, could help to reduce health disparities and improve the overall health of the population.
