Incarceration Exposure and Maternal Food Insecurity During Pregnancy: Findings from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monito
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Incarceration Exposure and Maternal Food Insecurity During Pregnancy: Findings from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2004–2015 Alexander Testa1 · Dylan B. Jackson1
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract Objectives This study examines the relationship between exposure to incarceration and food insecurity among mothers during pregnancy. Methods Using data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) from 2004 to 2015, logistic regression models were used to assess the association between incarceration of a woman or her partner in the year before birth and the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity. Results Net of control variables, exposure to incarceration either personally or vicariously through a partner is associated with a 165% increase in the odds of food insecurity (OR 2.65, CI 2.29, 3.08). Attenuation analyses indicate this association partly operates through financial hardship, maternal unemployment, and receiving WIC benefits. Conclusions for Practice Given the adverse consequences of food insecurity for maternal health and early childhood development, public health and criminal justice practitioners should develop targeted interventions to alleviate the negative repercussions associated with exposure to incarceration among pregnant women. Keywords Food Insecurity · Incarceration · Pregnancy · Maternal health · PRAMS
Significance Food insecurity is a significant public health issue that is associated with adversities for both mothers and children. An emerging body of research suggests that exposure to incarceration is associated with an increased risk of food insecurity. This study adds to existing literature by providing the first examination between exposure to incarceration and food insecurity among recent mothers. Findings suggest that mothers who were exposed to incarceration either personally or vicariously through a partner are at an elevated risk of food insecurity in the year prior to birth. Considering the substantial risks that food insecurity poses for both maternal
* Alexander Testa [email protected] Dylan B. Jackson [email protected] 1
Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Texas at San Antonio, 501 W. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78207, USA
and child health, policy initiatives aimed at alleviating food insecurity are recommended.
Introduction Food insecurity—or the inability to acquire nutritionally adequate foods—is a major public health concern in the United States (Gundersen and Ziliak 2018). As of 2017, approximately 15 million U.S. households were food insecure at some point during the year, including 2.9 million households with children (Coleman-Jensen et al. 2018). While a voluminous literature documents the consequences of food insecurity for health and development over the lifespan (Lee et al. 2012; Gundersen and Ziliak 2014), such consequences are particularly severe for certain subsets of the population. For example, food insecurity can be ex
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