Conway James M
Department of Psychological Science, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain.
Fam Community Health. 2021;44(3):194-205. doi: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000295.
Children's health indicators such as mortality and adverse birth outcomes are poorer in the United States than in comparable nations. These measures also show racial inequities within the United States, with Black children experiencing the highest levels. Mass incarceration may partially explain these findings. High incarceration rates can disrupt community functioning, influencing behavior and health. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a macro (state)-level analysis examining whether yearly state incarceration rates predict health outcomes including infant, child, and teen mortality as well as preterm birth and low birth weight. It was hypothesized that prior year incarceration rates would show positive relationships with all outcomes and that relationships would be stronger for Black than for white children. Yearly state-level panel data were gathered from 1990 to 2017. Weighted least squares regression used states' prior year incarceration rates to predict child health outcomes, using controls for overall state effects and year-to-year effects. Time-varying covariates such as state unemployment rate were also included to address the possibility of spurious relationships. Results indicated that as hypothesized, incarceration rates positively predicted infant mortality, child mortality (for Black children only), preterm births, and low-weight births. Relationships tended to be stronger for Black than for white children.
在美国，儿童健康指标如死亡率和不良出生结局比可比国家更差。这些指标在美国国内也显示出种族不平等，黑人儿童的情况最为严重。大规模监禁可能部分解释了这些结果。高监禁率会扰乱社区功能，影响行为和健康。本研究的目的是进行一项宏观（州）层面的分析，考察每年的州监禁率是否能预测包括婴儿、儿童和青少年死亡率以及早产和低出生体重在内的健康结局。研究假设前一年的监禁率与所有结局呈正相关，且黑人儿童的相关性要强于白人儿童。收集了1990年至2017年的年度州层面面板数据。加权最小二乘法回归使用各州前一年的监禁率来预测儿童健康结局，并控制总体州效应和逐年效应。还纳入了州失业率等随时间变化的协变量，以解决虚假关系的可能性。结果表明，正如假设的那样，监禁率与婴儿死亡率、儿童死亡率（仅针对黑人儿童）、早产和低体重出生呈正相关。黑人儿童的相关性往往强于白人儿童。
