Concentrated Disadvantage in United States

United States

Concentrated disadvantage is an indicator used to measure community well-being. It involves examining multiple aspects of geographically concentrated poverty, economic segregation and other population characteristics. Concentrated disadvantage considers poverty, unemployment, use of public assistance programs, density of female-headed households and households with children. Studies have found that living in areas of higher community socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with:

• Preterm birth.
• Decreased cognitive abilities.
• Teen pregnancy.
• Lack of access to healthy foods and recreational areas.
• Higher crime rates.
• Environmental hazards, including lead exposure, poor air quality and substandard housing.
• Chronic conditions such as obesity, asthma, depression, anxiety and sexually transmitted infections.

Historical housing policies and other factors related to residential segregation have led to more children of color living in areas of concentrated disadvantage. Across all income levels, Black families live in poorer neighborhoods than their white counterparts. Studies have found that women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods face higher risks of mental and physical health problems and are more likely to experience violence and mortality compared with their male counterparts.

To make impactful changes at the community level in areas of high concentrated disadvantage, multifactorial strategies may combine a number of approaches that foster economic opportunity, increase educational attainment, improve workplace conditions or expand access to quality nutrition, health care and housing. Solutions to address concentrated disadvantage and its repercussions fall into two main categories: 

1. Investing in communities: Programs that aim to enrich and empower areas facing concentrated disadvantage by improving living and economic conditions may have more significant long-term impacts, especially if they address the complexities of poverty. One such program, the Best Babies Zone Initiative, helps reduce poor birth outcomes in disadvantaged areas by uniting neighborhood leaders, improving education and the built environment and promoting economic and community development. Investing in affordable housing and public education systems are other long-term strategies to reduce concentrated disadvantage. 
2. Promoting social and physical mobility to break down barriers of segregation: Programs that allow families to move away from an area of concentrated disadvantage have shown a positive impact on long-term economic, educational and health outcomes. The positive impact, however, is seen primarily in young children; moving at age 13 or older can negatively affect long-term outcomes. The Moving to Opportunity study found that moving to neighborhoods with less poverty improved mental health outcomes and reduced risk-taking behaviors for adolescent girls, but the effect on boys was less consistent.

Healthy People 2030 has several objectives related to the components of concentrated disadvantage, including reducing the proportion of people living below the poverty threshold and increasing employment among the working-age population.

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