Neighborhood foreclosures and health disparities in the U.S. cities

Abstract

This study examines the association between neighborhood foreclosures and various health outcomes during the U.S. national foreclosure recovery. Using multilevel modeling with neighborhood foreclosure rates in 17,433 census tracts in 395 cities within 193 metros, this study finds more than 3 years of long-term adverse effects of foreclosures on the status of health. The spillover effects of home foreclosures on neighborhood health, however, varied according to the type of market, based on housing price trajectories. From a cross-sectional perspective, the high concentration of home foreclosures in 2014, after the 2011 peak in foreclosure rates, was more strongly associated with adverse health conditions in cities in boom-bust markets that were hit hard by the foreclosure crisis than in other cities and markets. From a longitudinal perspective, substantial drops in foreclosure rates in cities in boom-bust markets from 2011 to 2014 reduced heart-related diseases (i.e., stroke and coronary heart disease), but not other diseases; in cities in weak markets, the spillover effects of home foreclosures on health appeared to worsen over time. To promote healthier neighborhoods, policy makers should acknowledge the diverse relationship between the concentration of foreclosed properties and health outcomes across the types of markets.