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. 1997 Sep;87(9):1526–1531. doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.9.1526

Is incarceration during pregnancy associated with infant birthweight?

S L Martin 1, H Kim 1, L L Kupper 1, R E Meyer 1, M Hays 1
PMCID: PMC1380983  PMID: 9314809

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether incarceration during pregnancy is associated with infant birthweight. METHODS: Multivariable analyses compared infant birthweight outcomes among three groups of women: 168 women incarcerated during pregnancy, 630 women incarcerated at a time other than during pregnancy, and 3910 women never incarcerated. RESULTS: After confounders were controlled for, infant birthweights among women incarcerated during pregnancy were not significantly different from women never incarcerated; however, infant birthweights were significantly worse among women incarcerated at a time other than during pregnancy than among never-incarcerated women and women incarcerated during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Certain aspects of the prison environment (shelter, food, etc.) may be health-promoting for high-risk pregnant women.

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Selected References

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