Moving families to lower-poverty neighborhoods to reduce diabetes and obesity
The Mobility Opportunity Voucher to Eliminate Diabetes and obesity (MOVED) Study
This project offers housing move support to low-income families to try to lower their risk of obesity and diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11372812 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join through the federal Community Choice Demonstration, some families receive help like security deposit assistance and landlord outreach to move to lower-poverty neighborhoods while others do not. The MOVED project will follow about 900 participating households in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Nashville with in-person visits at the start and two years later. Participants will provide health information, height/weight measurements, and activity data (for example wearing an accelerometer) and share address and household details. The goal is to track changes in body weight, activity, and diabetes risk linked to neighborhood changes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are low-income adults (and their children) enrolled in the Community Choice Demonstration who live in or are willing to be followed in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or Nashville and can attend in-person visits and wear an activity monitor.
Not a fit: People who do not qualify for the housing mobility program, live outside the three study cities, or already live in low-poverty neighborhoods are unlikely to benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lower obesity and diabetes risk among low-income families by enabling moves to healthier neighborhoods.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier housing mobility programs showed mixed health results for different groups, so this large randomized federal demonstration provides a new opportunity to learn more.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pollack, Craig Evan — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Pollack, Craig Evan
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.