My colleagues and I conducted a study that investigated if residential mobility during childhood has implications for health later in life. We know that moving homes frequently during childhood has negative educational consequences for school-aged children and can be associated with poor mental health later in life during adulthood. My study team had the opportunity to examine the implications of frequent moves during childhood for older adults’ health in a unique survey study of over 10,000 people across the US. We found that adults who had moved homes frequently during childhood experienced long-term health consequences. We found that African Americans, people whose families were low socioeconomic status, and those who had experienced early life adversity had synergistic negative effects on older adult health if they had moved frequently in childhood. These findings highlight the importance of investigating if and how childhood social and economic circumstances are associated with older adult health. Further, it highlights that policies that support housing stability for families, such as eviction protections, can contribute to better health later in adulthood. Policies that support housing stability could be particularly impactful for older adult health among socially vulnerable groups.
