The IGNITE Study on Concentrated Investment in Black Neighborhoods

NCT05541653 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 850178
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 571
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Black Americans in the US fare worse across nearly every health indicator compared to White individuals. In Philadelphia, the location of this study, these health disparities culminate 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 microclusters, with a total of 720 adults. The investigators hypothesize that this "big push" intervention will have significant impact on overall health and wellbeing.

Conditions

Financial Stress; Economic Problems; Environmental Exposure; Health Behavior; Health, Subjective; Mental Health Wellness 1

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Overall Health Index

  Composite index using method of Anderson (2008) based on three questions: rating of overall health (5-pt Likert ranging from poor to excellent); rating of how health has changed in last 6 months (better, same, worse); and number of days in the last 30 where physical or mental health precluded engagement in usual activities (self-care, work, recreation); (Oregon Health Insurance Experiment)

  24 months

• Psychological Distress

  Kessler-6 (answers scored 0-24 with higher scores indicating higher levels of psychological distress)

  24 months

Secondary Outcomes (29)

• Overall health

  24 months

• Poor health

  24 months

• Change in overall health

  24 months

• Healthy days

  24 months

• Sleep duration

  24 months

Study Arms (2)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

At the individual level, participants in the intervention arm receive place-based and financial well-being interventions. These include, at the individual level: * Tax preparation * Access to public benefits * Financial counseling and microgrants At the neighborhood level: * Abandoned house remediation * Trash cleanup * Vacant lot greening * Tree planting

Other: Financial Well-being Interventions; Other: Place-based Interventions

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the control arm will not receive any of the listed interventions.

Interventions

Financial Well-being Interventions OTHER

Tax preparation; access to public benefits; financial counseling and microgrants

Intervention

Place-based Interventions OTHER

Vacant lot greening; abandoned house remediation; trash cleanup; and tree planting.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• At least 18 years of age
• Have the ability to communicate via text messaging
• Individuals comfortable communicating in English
• A permanent resident of the home where they are to be enrolled
• Have knowledge of their household finances

You may not qualify if:

• Individuals who plan to move out of the study microcluster within 6 months
• Individuals who are unable to fully consent and participate based on recruitment team assessment

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania: lead

Study Sites (1)

Philadelphia Neighborhoods

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 00000, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Financial Stress; Health Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Stress, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: The investigators are not masked. Our recruitment team will be masked until cluster recruitment is complete. The outcomes assessor will be masked.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 2, 2022
• First Posted: September 15, 2022
• Study Start: September 29, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Last Updated: February 12, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)