How housing moves shape moms' and babies' health over 30 years
Influences of Housing on Maternal and Infant Health: 30-year Follow-up of a Randomized Trial
This project looks at whether offering low-income families housing vouchers to move to better neighborhoods changed the long-term health of mothers and their children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11362673 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you were part of the original Moving to Opportunity program, researchers will re-contact families and collect health records and surveys to see how moving to different neighborhoods affected moms' and babies' health over decades. The original randomized program offered housing vouchers—including moves to low-poverty neighborhoods—and this follow-up links those early housing offers to later birth outcomes and maternal health. The team will combine follow-up visits, administrative data, and neighborhood measures to examine maternal morbidity, birth outcomes, and child health across the life course. Results aim to show whether housing policy can reduce pregnancy and infant health disparities.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are mothers and family members who took part in the original Moving to Opportunity trial—low-income families living in public housing in the five study cities—who can share health records and survey information.
Not a fit: People who were never exposed to housing instability or who were not part of the original MTO sample are unlikely to be eligible or to gain direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could identify how housing policies improve pregnancy and infant outcomes and guide policies to reduce health disparities for mothers and children.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier analyses of Moving to Opportunity showed some mental health and economic gains but mixed or unclear effects on birth and maternal outcomes, so this 30-year follow-up addresses a novel long-term question.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Osypuk, Theresa Louise — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Osypuk, Theresa Louise
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.