Wallace Lori R, Weir Alison M, Smith Megan V
Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
National Diaper Bank Network, New Haven, Connecticut.
Womens Health Issues. 2017 Oct 17;27 Suppl 1:S14-S21. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2017.09.003.
Maternal mental illness constitutes one of most significant public health problems facing women of reproductive age and their children. Women who mother in poverty experience additional stressors, pointing to the need for innovative public health promotion efforts to reduce mental illness. Simple innovations, like making diapers more available and affordable, may represent an effective method of addressing this problem. This paper describes the research findings on diaper need reported by the New Haven Mental Health Outreach for Mothers Partnership and the process of translating these findings into broader policy and advocacy efforts.
National-, state-, and local-level diaper policy activities that occurred from 2013 to 2016 were examined after a journal article that focused on diaper need and associated psychosocial variables was published in Pediatrics.
Based on analysis of policy activities that occurred from 2013 to 2016 after Pediatrics published the diaper need findings, several diaper-related policy activities were identified: 1 at the city level, 11 at the state level, and 2 at the federal level. Five of the identified activities represented policy changes that were enacted or implemented.
Community coalitions can effect gender-responsive policy change by conducting and disseminating research, engaging stakeholders, and mobilizing and leveraging their networks.
孕产妇精神疾病是育龄妇女及其子女面临的最重大公共卫生问题之一。贫困母亲面临更多压力，这表明需要开展创新的公共卫生促进工作以减少精神疾病。一些简单的创新举措，比如让尿布更易获取且价格更亲民，可能是解决这一问题的有效方法。本文介绍了纽黑文母亲心理健康外展伙伴关系报告的尿布需求研究结果，以及将这些结果转化为更广泛政策和宣传努力的过程。
在《儿科学》发表一篇关注尿布需求及相关社会心理变量的期刊文章后，对2013年至2016年期间国家、州和地方层面的尿布政策活动进行了审查。
基于对《儿科学》发表尿布需求研究结果后2013年至2016年期间政策活动的分析，确定了几项与尿布相关的政策活动：城市层面1项，州层面11项，联邦层面2项。已确定的活动中有5项代表了已颁布或实施的政策变化。
社区联盟可以通过开展和传播研究、让利益相关者参与以及动员和利用其网络来实现促进性别平等的政策变革。
