Our comprehensive review and meta- analysis of these experiments find suggestive evidence of health benefits associated with investments in early life , income support , and health insurance interventions .
Housing and neighborhood trials had no effect on the outcomes included in the meta-analyses .
A positive effect of the trial on its primary socioeconomic outcome was associated with higher odds of reporting health improvements .
Early life , income , and health insurance interventions have the potential to improve health .
Policy Points Social policies might not only improve economic well-being , but also health .
Health policy experts have therefore advocated for investments in social policies both to improve population health and potentially reduce health system costs .
Since the 1960s , a large number of social policies have been experimentally evaluated in the United States .
Some of these experiments include health outcomes , providing a unique opportunity to inform evidence -based policymaking .
CONTEXT Insurers and health care providers are investing heavily in nonmedical social interventions in an effort to improve health and potentially reduce health care costs .
Gender and Crime Victimization Modify Neighborhood Effects on Adolescent Mental Health
OBJECTIVE : Leverage an experimental study to determine whether gender or recent crime victimization modify the mental health effects of moving to low-poverty neighborhoods . METHODS : The  Moving to Opportunity ( MTO ) study r and omized low-income families in public housing to an intervention arm receiving vouchers to subsidize rental housing in lower-poverty neighborhoods or to controls receiving no voucher . We examined 3 outcomes 4 to 7 years after r and omization , among youth aged 5 to 16 years at baseline ( n = 2829 ) :  lifetime major depressive disorder ( MDD ) , psychological distress ( K6 ) , and Behavior Problems Index ( BPI ) . Treatment effect modification by gender and family ’s baseline report of recent violent crime victimization was tested via interactions in covariate-adjusted intent-to-treat and instrumental variable adherence-adjusted regression models . RESULTS : Gender and crime victimization significantly modified treatment effects on distress and BPI ( P < .10 ) . Female adolescents in families without crime victimization benefited from MTO treatment , for all outcomes ( Distress B = –0.19 , P = .008 ; BPI B = –0.13 , P = .06 ; MDD B = –0.036 , P = .03 ) . Male adolescents in intervention families experiencing crime victimization  had worse distress ( B = 0.24 , P = .004 ) , more behavior problems ( B = 0.30 , P < .001 ) , and nonsignificantly higher MDD ( B = 0.022 , P = .16 ) versus controls . Other subgroups experienced no effect of MTO treatment . Instrumental variable estimates were similar but larger . CONCLUSIONS : Girls from families experiencing recent violent crime victimization were significantly less likely to achieve mental health benefits , and boys were harmed , by MTO , suggesting need for cross-sectoral program supports to offset multiple stressors
Our comprehensive review and meta- analysis of these experiments find suggestive evidence of health benefits associated with investments in early life , income support , and health insurance interventions .
Housing and neighborhood trials had no effect on the outcomes included in the meta-analyses .
A positive effect of the trial on its primary socioeconomic outcome was associated with higher odds of reporting health improvements .
Early life , income , and health insurance interventions have the potential to improve health .
Policy Points Social policies might not only improve economic well-being , but also health .
Health policy experts have therefore advocated for investments in social policies both to improve population health and potentially reduce health system costs .
Since the 1960s , a large number of social policies have been experimentally evaluated in the United States .
Some of these experiments include health outcomes , providing a unique opportunity to inform evidence -based policymaking .
CONTEXT Insurers and health care providers are investing heavily in nonmedical social interventions in an effort to improve health and potentially reduce health care costs .