Summary: Stable, affordable housing
is an established determinant of health. As affordable housing shortages across
the USA threaten to displace people from their homes, it is important to
understand the implications of cost-related residential moves for health care
access.
Authors
examine the relationship between cost-related moves and unmet medical needs.
Authors studied respondents ages 18 and older and used data from 2011–2017 California
Health Interview Surveys.
The
primary predictor variable was residential move history in the past
5 years (cost-related move, non-cost-related move, or no move). The
primary outcome was unmet medical needs in the past year (necessary medications
and/or medical care that were delayed or not received).
Findings: The sample included
146,417 adults (42–47% response rate), representing a weighted population of
28,518,590. Overall, 20.3% of the sample reported unmet medical needs in the
past year, and 4.9% reported a cost-related move in the past 5 years. In
multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted risk of unmet medical needs
increased for adults with both cost-related moves and non-cost-related moves
compared to those with no moves. Among people who had moved, those with
cost-related moves were more likely to report unmet medical needs compared to
people with non-cost-related moves.
People
who have moved due to unaffordable housing represent a population at increased
risk for unmet medical needs. Policymakers seeking to improve population health
should consider strategies to limit cost-related moves and to mitigate their
adverse effects on health care access.