The IGNITE for Kids Study on Concentrated Investment in Black Neighborhoods and Child Health and Well-Being

Summary

Black children and adults in the United States fare worse across nearly every health indicator compared to White individuals. In Philadelphia, the location of this study, these health disparities result in a stark longevity gap, with average life expectancies in poor, predominantly Black neighborhoods being 20 years lower than in nearby affluent, predominantly White neighborhoods. The investigators will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a suite of place- based and financial-wellbeing interventions at the community, organization, and individual/household levels that address the social determinants of racial health disparities. At the community level, the investigators address underinvestment in Black neighborhoods by implementing vacant lot greening, abandoned house remediation, tree planting, and trash cleanup. At the organization level, the investigators partner with community-based financial empowerment providers to develop cross-organizational infrastructure to increase reach and maximize efficiency. At the individual/household levels, the investigators increase access to public benefits, financial counseling and tax preparation services, and emergency cash assistance. The investigators will test this "big push" intervention in 60 Black neighborhood micro-clusters, with a total of 480 children. The investigators hypothesize that this "big push" intervention will have significant impact on children's health and wellbeing.

Conditions

• Financial Stress
• Economic Problems
• Environmental Exposure
• Health Behavior
• Health, Subjective
• Mental Health Wellness

Interventions

OTHER

Assigned Interventions

Financial well-being interventions: • Tax preparation; access to public benefits; financial counseling and microgrants Place-based interventions: • Vacant lot greening; abandoned house remediation; trash cleanup; tree planting

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Pennsylvania

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Atheendar Venkataramani, MD, PhD · University of Pennsylvania

• Eugenia South, MD, MSHP · University of Pennsylvania

• Aditi Vasan, MD, MSHP · Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

3 Years

Max Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-06-10

Primary Completion

2026-06-30

Completion

2026-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations