Housing Instability and Health Outcomes

Housing instability encompasses a spectrum of experiences—from threatened evictions and frequent relocations to overcrowding and unaffordable housing costs—and exerts profound effects on both physical and mental health. At the individual level, the stress of potential displacement triggers anxiety, depression and behavioural changes, such as disrupted sleep and poorer nutrition. For pregnant women, these stressors are linked to preterm birth and low birth weight, setting the stage for lifelong health challenges. Across communities, clusters of unstable housing contribute to neighbourhood decline, social fragmentation and reduced access to health-promoting resources. Chronic exposure to instability is associated with elevated rates of cardiovascular disease, compromised immune function and increased all-cause mortality. Globally, populations facing housing precarity—whether in high-income cities or low-resource settings—share common pathways by which inadequate shelter and financial strain exacerbate health disparities. Evidence underscores the importance of multi-level interventions, including housing subsidies, legal protections and emergency shelter programmes, to buffer adverse health outcomes and promote resilience among vulnerable groups.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Housing Instability and Health Outcomes publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in housing instability and health outcomes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Housing instability: recurring inability to secure and maintain adequate, affordable housing, including frequent moves, eviction threats and overcrowding.

Eviction filing: legal action initiated by a landlord to remove a tenant due to non-payment or lease violations.

Preterm birth: birth occurring before 37 completed weeks of gestation, often associated with increased health risks.

Low birth weight: birth weight below 2500 grams, associated with neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Eviction moratorium: temporary legal suspension of eviction proceedings, often enacted during public health emergencies.

References

1. Estimating eviction prevalence across the United States. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2022).
2. Association of Eviction With Adverse Birth Outcomes Among Women in Georgia, 2000 to 2016. JAMA Pediatrics (2021).
3. Eviction Moratoria Expiration and COVID-19 Infection Risk Across Strata of Health and Socioeconomic Status in the United States. JAMA Network Open (2021).