Weathering Effects on Our Health — And the Power of Civic Engagement Beyond the Ballot

Every day, people in some communities disproportionately carry invisible burdens—stress from making ends meet, navigating discrimination, working without support during crises, and living under policies that fail to protect them. Dr. Arline Geronimus conducted groundbreaking research on the effect of these stressors on individuals, which she termed “weathering”: the gradual wearing down of the body and mind due to chronic, unrelenting stress. Weathering isn’t just a theory—it shows up in some neighborhoods as shorter life expectancies, higher chronic disease rates, and the exhaustion that comes from simply trying to survive systems not designed with everyone in mind.

But here is the part we cannot ignore: weathering is not purely biological. It is political. The stressors that diminish our well-being—income instability, food insecurity, unsafe housing, government shutdowns, and underfunded services—are shaped directly by policy decisions. And that means they can be changed.

What Weathering Looks Like in Our Communities

People from marginalized groups, including racial and ethnic minorities, lower socioeconomic backgrounds, immigrants, and the LGBTQ+ community, are affected the most by societal weathering conditions. The impact of which accumulates over years of dealing with:

• Discrimination and inequitable treatment
  
  

• Economic hardship and unstable employment
  
  

• Chronic exposure to violence or unsafe conditions
  
  

• Government shutdowns that withhold pay but still require people to work
  
  

• Policy chaos around programs like SNAP, Medicaid, or housing assistance
  
  

• The constant uncertainty of living one crisis away from hunger or homelessness
  
  

When you see families stressed about whether SNAP benefits will continue—or essential workers forced to report for duty without pay during a shutdown—or the enactment of immigration actions that create fear, economic instability, disrupt educational and health access - you are bystanders to weathering precursors unfolding in real time.

These pressures don’t just result in financial strain; they affect emotional well-being and experience biological stress, which alters physical health, contributing to hypertension, cardiovascular disease, depression, weakened immunity, and premature aging. Weathering is a public health crisis hiding in plain sight.

Policy Choices Shape The Health Outcomes of Weathering

Government, either through legislation or administration, sets policy and implements programs that mitigate the effects of weathering. This includes, for example, supplemental benefits that provide food, medical care, social services, and housing. However, even the assistance when not handled properly–assuring the dignity of the person–can lead to fraying of one’s last nerve many times over, to put it mildly. This is the case with how homeless populations are relocated in cities. Providing shelter with sleeping quarters, showers, and recreation areas–albeit temporary–to inhabitants of so-called “tent” cities in many American cities' downtown districts is viewed as positive, a solution where those who are in charge feel they are doing what they can to “get it right.” 

However, according to critics, urban unhoused relocation efforts often precede tourist events such as concerts with big-name artists or world stage athletic events like the Olympics or the Super Bowl, and give the impression of getting rid of an eyesore so it doesn’t affect tourist spending more than it reflects being fundamentally concerned about the residents. Also, the moves are often abrupt, not giving individuals time to connect with case workers, and are urged on with the threat of arrest.

Too often, decisions about essential programs such as relocation efforts are made by individuals who lack lived experience with poverty, hunger, or instability. As a result, the communities most impacted are rarely at the center of the conversation, and policy choices deepen the very conditions that shorten lives.

Civic Engagement Is How We Fight Weathering

To reduce weathering, we cannot treat civic engagement as a once-every-four-years event. Voting is just the start. After Election Day, we must know who is on our civic team—mayors, council members, governors, and congressional representatives—and understand how their decisions shape the conditions that determine our health.

Civic power means:

• Paying attention to how elected officials respond to issues like SNAP funding, shutdowns, and public health investments
  
  

• Contacting representatives to express how policy decisions affect families
  
  

• Tracking budget proposals and committee votes
  
  

• Supporting legislation that strengthens social safety nets
  
  

• Joining with neighbors to advocate for community-centered solutions
  
  

Elected officials make decisions every day that influence weathering. Our job is to stay engaged, informed, and vocal.

What We Can Do to Strengthen Community Health Right Now

Here are concrete steps that help reduce weathering at the individual and community level:

1. Contact Your Representatives

Let them know how critical food assistance, stable employment, and strong public health funding are for families. They need to hear our stories and our expectations.

2. Support Local Organizations Filling the Gaps

Food banks, weekend meal programs for children, and nonprofits serving unhoused or low-income families will face higher demand during periods of policy uncertainty.

3. Stay Curious and Informed

Understanding how policies work is a form of empowerment. When we know what’s happening, we can respond more effectively.

4. Share What You Learn

Awareness spreads through conversation. Tell friends, family, and networks how civic decisions affect community health.

5. Build Collective Power

Join neighborhood groups, advocacy coalitions, or faith-based efforts that push for structural change.

Every action—large or small—helps push back against weathering.

Conclusion: Reducing Weathering Requires Year-Round Civic Leadership

Weathering is not a personal failure. It is the result of generations of policy choices that have left too many communities without the resources, support, and stability they deserve. But because civic decisions shape these conditions, they can be reshaped by civic engagement.

When we stay involved beyond Election Day—paying attention, speaking up, and holding leaders accountable—we help create the conditions for healthier, more resilient communities.

That is how we honor our collective responsibility. That is how we build a city and a nation where everyone has the chance to thrive.

Public health is public power. And together, we can use it well.