Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
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Many aging mid-twentieth-century social housing developments worldwide are set to undergo major redevelopment, aiming to improve residents' living conditions. Nevertheless, the associated processes, particularly the challenges of relocation during the demolition and reconstruction phase, can significantly disrupt communities and social networks. Understanding the multifaceted impacts of social housing redevelopment projects is crucial to inform planning, design, and consultation for these projects. ⋯ While improved physical infrastructure provides opportunities for better health outcomes, the disruption and lack of control during the relocation process may cause significant adverse health impacts. Moreover, the different phases during the redevelopment process expose different subgroups to varying risks. Based on these findings, we recommend that social housing redevelopment initiatives prioritize engaging and empowering residents to have better control in decision-making throughout all phases of the redevelopment.
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According to the uncertain geographic context problem, a lack of temporal information can hinder measures of bias in mortgage lending. This study extends previous methods to: (1) measure the persistence of racial bias in mortgage lending for Black Americans by adding temporal trends and credit scores, and (2) evaluate the continuity of bias in discriminatory areas from 1990 to 2020. These additions create an indicator of persistent structural housing discrimination. ⋯ Historically redlined areas displayed the strongest persistence of bias. Results suggest that temporal data can identify persistence and improve sensitivity in measuring neighborhood bias. Understanding the temporality of residential exposure can increase research rigor and inform policy to reduce the health effects of racial bias.
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On June 1, 2020, NYC Health + Hospitals, in partnership with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, other city agencies, and a large network of community partners, launched the New York City Test & Trace (T2) COVID-19 response program to identify and isolate cases, reduce transmission through contact tracing, and provide support to residents during isolation or quarantine periods. In this paper, we describe lessons learned with respect to planning and implementation of case notification and contact tracing. ⋯ Facilitators and barriers revealed in the interviews primarily revolved around hiring and managing staff, data and technology, and quality of interactions with the public. Based on these facilitators and barriers, we identify suggestions to support effective planning and response for future case notification and contact tracing programs, including recommendations for planning during latent periods, case management and data systems, and processes for outreach to cases and contacts.
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Chronic insufficient and poor-quality sleep are linked to hypertension, diabetes, depression, heart attack, and stroke. While studies on substance use and sleep typically focus on people in or entering treatment, there is a lack of research on sleep health among community-recruited people who inject drugs (PWID). To address this literature gap, we examined factors associated with insufficient and poor-quality sleep among community-recruited PWID. ⋯ Multivariable analyses showed a high subsistence score predicting insufficient (RR = 1.31) and poor-quality sleep (RR = 1.69) compared to low subsistence. Poor sleep health is common among structurally vulnerable community-recruited PWID, as measured by subsistence index associated with adverse sleep outcomes. Further research on structural interventions to address sleep and subsequent health outcomes among PWID is imperative.
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Reliable electricity, elevators, heat, hot water, and water are aspects of safe and accessible housing. Interruptions to these services represent a persistent challenge faced by public housing residents in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). We compiled outage data spanning 2020-2022 from NYCHA's online service interruptions portal and paired these data with demographic and meteorological sources to understand the burden of these outages. ⋯ Residents of NYCHA, who are predominately low-income, Black, and Hispanic face a disproportionate burden of service interruptions. Like all New Yorkers, NYCHA residents deserve to live in dignified housing that is safe and accessible. Addressing service interruptions are one way to make public housing safer and push toward climate and environmental justice.