The Mobility Opportunity Voucher to Eliminate Diabetes and obesity (MOVED) Study

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

Modified Project Summary An estimated 41% of adults in the US and one in five of children are estimated to have obesity; over 37 million Americans have diabetes and 96 million adults have prediabetes. The prevalence of these conditions continue to grow, highlighting the need for policies addressing their root causes. The federal government’s new, $50 million Community Choice Demonstration seeks to test strategies that help low-income households move to low poverty neighborhoods. The Demonstration offers an exciting, time-sensitive chance to study the impact of this new targeted housing mobility program on obesity and diabetes risk, and, more broadly, provides a window into the mechanisms through which neighborhoods impact obesity and diabetes risk for low-income populations. Starting in the Fall of 2022, approximately 16,000 households will take part in a randomized controlled trial: one group will receive comprehensive mobility services such as security deposit assistance and landlord outreach to facilitate moving to a lower-poverty neighborhood and a control group will not receive mobility services. This proposed project, the Mobility Opportunity Vouchers to Eliminate Diabetes and obesity (MOVED) Study, will recruit 900 households enrolled in the Demonstration from three sites (Pittsburgh, PA; Cleveland, OH; Nashville, TN). 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 measured BMI and HbA1c among adult and changes in BMI z-score among children after 2 years compared to the control group (Aim 1). Aim 2 investigates outcomes along the causal pathway, focusing on potential behavioral, psychosocial, and contextual factors that may differ between the intervention and control groups. Data for this aim includes validated questionnaires, geographically-derived data, and, among a subset of participants, accelerometry data on physical activity and sleep. Aim 3 uses in-depth qualitative interviews to delve deeper into potential mechanisms through which moving to a lower-poverty neighborhood influences obesity and diabetes risk. The proposed research answers recent national calls for innovative research on the impact of housing mobility and neighborhoods on health and offers a time-sensitive chance to provide foundational, policy-relevant knowledge designed to reduce the impact of obesity and diabetes. Modified