July 18th 2023.
Redlining neighborhoods and communities has been an issue for years, and it affects more than what school your children go to. In fact, a recent study published in American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation, shows that Black adults living in areas affected by discriminatory housing practices like redlining are at high risk for heart failure.
The study, which was part of the journal’s “Disparities in Cardiovascular Medicine Special Issue,” involved an analysis of over two million adults between 2014-2019 who lived in various communities with redlining issues beginning in the mid-1930s. After the analysis was conducted, it was estimated that half of the residents’ conditions can be explained by high levels of socioeconomic distress. This isn’t a new issue either - past studies have already shown that redlining residents are at higher risk for stroke, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. Now, heart failure has been added to the list, and it disproportionately affects Black adults, according to the 2023 Statistical Update by AHA.
Study co-senior author, Shreya Rao, M.D., M.P.H., said that these studies show how the past is still affecting us today. “Although discriminatory housing policies were effectively outlawed nearly a half-century ago, the relationship between historic redlining practices and people’s health today gives us unique insight into how historical policies may still be exerting their effects on the health of many communities,” Rao said.
It's well-known that financial institutions were openly engaging in racist lending practices in the early 1930s. Banks would deny loans and insurance to Black people hoping to purchase houses outside undesirable areas of cities. This process was dubbed “redlining,” a color-coding system for neighborhoods across the country based on “risk for investment,” and these areas were predominantly Black communities. Although the Fair Housing Act of 1968 did away with redlining, the effects of these unfair practices still linger today.
Interestingly enough, this study found that white adults living in redlining zones aren’t at much risk for health issues. This shows that the effects of redlining are still far-reaching and can have a long-lasting impact on different communities.
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