Fordham University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine are collaborating on a study that examines the connection between housing and health in the Bronx. The Affordable HOME Study, which launched last year, is looking to find out how different housing environments affect the health outcomes of the borough’s Latino population. This week, Be Healthy! sat down with Einstein’s Dr. Earle Chambers, a principal investigator on the study, to find out more.

Q: What, exactly, is this project looking to find out?
A: This particular study is looking at how section 8 housing vouchers allow you to live in different kinds of neighborhoods, and people who use these kinds of vouchers. If you’re able to take advantage of these affordable housing opportunities, does that correlate to differences in certain health behaviors compared to people who live in public housing projects or in the private market?

Q: Was there anything that inspired you to study this particular topic?
A: I’ve always been interested in studying obesity, and looking at its relationship to heart disease and cardiovascular risk.  The issue of housing is always something on everyone’s mind, as far as affordable housing and choosing where you want to live, especially in New York.

Q: How is the study being conducted?
A: We have a sampling frame, in the south and west section of the Bronx—Community Districts 1 through 7. Our population is restricted to Latino families who live in the Bronx and are eligible for low-income housing.
We’re knocking on doors and trying to convince people to participate. It’s just a one-time sit-down—we do the interview at the time of recruitment, and it takes about an hour and a half. The questionnaire asks about the characteristics of your housing and a number of different health indicators.

Q: Is there a reason you’re conducting this in the Bronx?
A: The Bronx definitely has a unique housing environment, and is really at high risk for a lot of different health outcomes. It has the highest rates of obesity of the five boroughs. Einstein and Fordham are both in the Bronx, and we’re committed to the health of the people of the Bronx.

Q: Do you have any predictions about what your research is going to find?
A: The hypothesis is that people from section 8 housing end up having better health outcomes than people who live in either a housing project or private market rent…that there are benefits of getting to use section 8 to move to better neighborhoods, and have access to better resources. It’s not clear if that’s [the case]. Even though the housing voucher gives a lot of people the opportunity to move out of poverty concentrated environment, it doesn’t mean it necessarily correlates to healthier behaviors.

Q: Over the past few years, the city has drastically cut the number of section 8 vouchers it gives out. Do you hope your study could have an effect on this?
A: I think the overall goal is to provide evidence that including more affordable housing options can be beneficial. Hopefully we can inform policymakers that these types of things can have health benefits.