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New Study Shows Health Disparities Between Low and Higher Income Ohioans

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Last year, nearly 1.6 million Ohioans lived in poverty. And a new study is connecting poverty with health, showing where you live in Ohio has a lot to do with how healthy you are. 

The study by Policy Matters Ohio shows 10 percent of Ohio’s neighborhoods were in areas of concentrated poverty. Amanda Woodrum says that’s a twofold increase over 2000.

“There’s health damaging neighborhood conditions from mold and lead in the homes to a lack of green space, a lack of healthy foods and add into that the stress of not feeling safe in your neighborhood that these all impact the health of residents," Woodrum says

And black Ohioans are more than two and a half times more likely to live in poverty than whites. Woodrum says Ohio ranks 47thfor how poorly the health of lower income residents compared to higher income Ohioans.

Contact Jo Ingles at jingles@statehousenews.org.