Redlining & Breast Cancer Risk: New Studies
- A new study from the University at Buffalo (UB) indicates that the discriminatory housing policy of redlining, implemented in the 1930s, continues to affect women's health today.
- The Federal Housing Management (FHA) initiated redlining in 1934, systematically denying mortgage credit to residents based on their location, often in predominantly Black urban areas.
- Lima, lead author of the UB studies, said redlining continues to influence a neighborhood's breast cancer environment and a woman's survival.
New research published by News Directory 3 reveals a stark link between ancient redlining policies and increased breast cancer risk and lower survival rates for women. This study shows how past discriminatory practices,particularly in the context of redlining,continue to impact health outcomes today. The research highlights that women in historically redlined neighborhoods face a substantially higher risk, irrespective of other factors. Delve deeper into the study’s findings, exploring how environmental profiles and socioeconomic disparities, shaped by redlining, contribute to this concerning trend. Also,learn how neighborhood grading,implemented decades ago,still correlates with cancer survival prospects today. Discover what’s next…
Redlining’s Impact: Breast Cancer Risk Persists in Targeted Areas
Updated June 18, 2025
A new study from the University at Buffalo (UB) indicates that the discriminatory housing policy of redlining, implemented in the 1930s, continues to affect women’s health today. The research reveals a link between historical redlining and both increased breast cancer risk factors and lower survival rates following diagnosis.
The Federal Housing Management (FHA) initiated redlining in 1934, systematically denying mortgage credit to residents based on their location, often in predominantly Black urban areas. Neighborhoods received grades from A to D, with “A” areas marked in green as desirable and “D” areas marked in red as hazardous. The practice was outlawed in 1968,yet its effects linger.
Sarah M. Lima, lead author of the UB studies, said redlining continues to influence a neighborhood’s breast cancer environment and a woman’s survival. Her research, published in cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention and Cancer Causes & Control, connects neighborhood environmental profiles to socioeconomic factors.
Lima’s advisors, Heather Ochs-Balcom and Tia Palermo, both associate professors in UB’s Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, helped identify the connection between redlining and breast cancer.
according to Lima,homeownership and wealth remain lower in historically redlined areas,which often became sites for highways and industrial facilities. Consequently, these neighborhoods face higher pollution exposure and fewer green spaces.
lima said redlining shaped U.S. cities, determining environmental profiles and socioeconomic resources, creating a “perfect storm” for breast cancer.
The study of nearly 61,000 breast cancer cases in New York State from 2008 to 2018 showed that women in historically redlined neighborhoods were more likely to die within five years of diagnosis, irrespective of insurance status, treatment, or socioeconomic factors. The research indicated progressively lower survival rates with worse redlining grades.
Specifically, 5.6% of cases were in A-graded neighborhoods, compared to 21.7% in B, 42.5% in C, and 30.1% in D neighborhoods. Women in B, C, and D areas had a 1.29, 1.37, and 1.64-fold higher risk of death, respectively, compared to those in A areas. The study