Does Neighborhood Redevelopment Reduce Obesity? Evidence From Jordan Downs in Watts, Los Angeles
Authors' conclusion
Redeveloping low-income communities can reduce abdominal obesity.
Study context
- Population
- Adult public housing residents of a low-income, minority community in Watts, Los Angeles, California421 adults analysed
- Participants
- 279 vs 149
- Exposure
- Jordan Downs residents vs comparison group residents in Watts
- Jordan Downs (JD)n = 279
- Comparisonn = 149reference
- Outcome
- Changes in BMI and waist circumference
- Follow-up
- Baseline (2018-2019) to (2021-2022)
Methodological detailsquasi-experimental difference-in-difference analysis, difference-in-difference models with individual fixed effects, quasi-experimental dose-response analysis
- Quasi-experimental difference-in-difference analysis
- Difference-in-difference models with individual fixed effects
- Quasi-experimental dose-response analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- No significant differences in BMI or waist circumference changes between JD and comparison group overall
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
| Outcome | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Waist circumference change, JD residents who moved to redeveloped areas (n = 75) vs comparisonLarger reduction with moved to redeveloped areas | larger reduction 2.2% (95% CI −0.05 to −0.003) |
| Abdominal obesity decline, JD residents who moved to redeveloped areas (n = 75) vs comparisonGreater decline with moved to redeveloped areas | greater decline 10.6 percentage point percentage points (95% CI −0.20 to −0.02) |
Barriers, diet and activity, movers to redeveloped areas vs comparison
- Greater declines in barriers to healthy eating and exercise, along with reduced added sugar intake
- No differential changes in BMI, obesity, physical activity, or diet quality
Original publication
Does Neighborhood Redevelopment Reduce Obesity? Evidence From Jordan Downs in Watts, Los Angeles. Obesity (Silver Spring). Published 18 September 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →