Wireless Movement Activity and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk in Historical Redlined Areas
Authors' conclusion
Even among redlined census tracts, those that reported a higher WMI (indicative of more frequent and diverse mobility) were likely to have better population-level cardiometabolic health. WMI may serve as a scalable, dynamic proxy for environmental opportunity and structural inequity.
Study context
- Population
- Historically redlined U.S. census tracts graded A-D by the Homeowners Loan Corporation (HOLC)
- Participants
- 16,352 census tracts
- Comparison
- The association between Wireless Movement Index (WMI) and disease prevalence across HOLC grades
- HOLC grades A-Bn = 4,458
- Grade Cn = 7,572
- Grade Dn = 4,322
- Outcome
- Visits by grade D tract residents
Methodological detailsnationally representative cell-phone tracking data
- Nationally representative cell-phone tracking data
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Visits to other grade D census tracts
55%
Visits to grade A/B census tracts
9%
Further findings
| Outcome | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Prevalent hypertension, obesity, and diabetes in grade D tracts, per unit increase in WMIEach unit increase in WMI · grade D tracts | decrease in prevalent hypertension −2.33 (95% CI −2.79 to −1.86) | |
| Prevalent hypertension, obesity, and diabetes in grade D tracts, per unit increase in WMIEach unit increase in WMI · grade D tracts | decrease in prevalent obesity −2.93 (95% CI −3.42 to −2.45) | |
| Prevalent hypertension, obesity, and diabetes in grade D tracts, per unit increase in WMIEach unit increase in WMI · grade D tracts | decrease in prevalent diabetes −0.99 (95% CI −1.30 to −0.68) | |
| −4−202Difference (linear scale) |
Cardiometabolic disease (CMD) prevalence
- The WMI was negatively associated with CMD prevalence across all HOLC grades, but this protective association was most pronounced in redlined areas
Original publication
Wireless Movement Activity and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk in Historical Redlined Areas. JACC Adv. Published 22 January 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →