TY - JOUR
T1 - Forgotten Fundamentals
T2 - A Review of State Legislation on Nutrition for Incarcerated Pregnant and Postpartum People
AU - Vitagliano, Julia
AU - Shalev, Talia
AU - Saunders, Jennifer B.
AU - Mason, Ellen
AU - Stang, Jamie
AU - Shlafer, Rebecca
AU - Kotlar, Bethany
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2024, The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/4/1
Y1 - 2024/4/1
N2 - Adequate nutritional intake during pregnancy is critical to infant health and development. People with the capacity for pregnancy who are incarcerated have limited control over their diets and rely on prisons and jails to meet their nutritional needs. This study examined state and federal statutes pertaining to nutrition care for pregnant people while incarcerated. Following a systematic search and review, we identified four qualitative codes relating to access to vitamins, supplemental food, additional hydration, and prenatal nutrition education. Summaries of state and federal statutes pertaining to nutrition were developed and compared with current prenatal nutrition recommendations. Less than a third of states had nutrition-related mandates and no states had statutes that included all key nutrition recommendations. No federal statutes addressed nutrition during pregnancy. Additionally, our review found no provisions for enforcement of the limited nutritional statutes that do exist. To mitigate adverse health consequences for pregnant people and their fetuses, policymakers should enact or amend legislation to align nutrition standards in all prisons and jails with national policy recommendations and provide mechanisms to oversee compliance.
AB - Adequate nutritional intake during pregnancy is critical to infant health and development. People with the capacity for pregnancy who are incarcerated have limited control over their diets and rely on prisons and jails to meet their nutritional needs. This study examined state and federal statutes pertaining to nutrition care for pregnant people while incarcerated. Following a systematic search and review, we identified four qualitative codes relating to access to vitamins, supplemental food, additional hydration, and prenatal nutrition education. Summaries of state and federal statutes pertaining to nutrition were developed and compared with current prenatal nutrition recommendations. Less than a third of states had nutrition-related mandates and no states had statutes that included all key nutrition recommendations. No federal statutes addressed nutrition during pregnancy. Additionally, our review found no provisions for enforcement of the limited nutritional statutes that do exist. To mitigate adverse health consequences for pregnant people and their fetuses, policymakers should enact or amend legislation to align nutrition standards in all prisons and jails with national policy recommendations and provide mechanisms to oversee compliance.
KW - correctional health care
KW - nutrition
KW - policy
KW - pregnancy
KW - prenatal
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85187684393&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85187684393&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1089/jchc.23.07.0063
DO - 10.1089/jchc.23.07.0063
M3 - Article
C2 - 38442320
AN - SCOPUS:85187684393
SN - 1078-3458
VL - 30
SP - 113
EP - 130
JO - Journal of Correctional Health Care
JF - Journal of Correctional Health Care
IS - 2
ER -