Development and Use of Neighborhood Health Analysis: Residential Mobility in Context

This report, which was produced for the NNIP cross-site initiative on Neighborhoods and Health, analyzes the extent of residential mobility among young children and the relationships between mobility, the delivery of child health care services, and other factors. KidsNet Databases were the main data source, which included records of birth outcomes linked to records on subsequent care for all children born in the state since 1997 who have been continuing residents. Their research showed that a significant share of young children move with surprising frequency; that the mothers of these frequent movers are more likely to be women of color, disadvantaged women, and single women; and that distressed neighborhoods are more likely to have high rates of child mobility. Analysis also suggested that frequent mobility was associated with disruptions in health care services (although the effects were not as strong as initially expected). Their earlier research had shown that frequent mobility also had negative effects on school performance. As a follow-up to this work, the department consulted highly mobile families to learn more about why they move so often and raise awareness about the effects.