Perinatal Outcomes of Infants Born to Women Living in Prison: A Systematic Review
Open Access
Author:
Zheng, Nanda
Area of Honors:
Nursing
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Erin Ann Kitt-Lewis, Thesis Supervisor Cara L Exten, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
incarceration prisons correctional facilities women who are pregnant and living in prisons perinatal outcomes pregnancy infants babies newborns prenatal care perinatal care healthcare
Abstract:
Prison policies often overlook the specialized needs of women and their health leading to poor maternal outcomes and high-risk pregnancies. Women who are pregnant and living in prisons are a marginalized and vulnerable population. They predominantly come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and have histories of substance/opioid abuse and poor health profiles. The number of women in prison worldwide has increased from 466,000 in 2000 to more than 740,000 today. This rise combined with the lack of data collection on women living in prisons has resulted in a gap in the literature on perinatal outcomes. This systematic review summarizes the current state of the science on the perinatal outcomes of women living in prisons. Categories of perinatal outcomes analyzed were types of births, birthweights, Apgar scores, labor and delivery outcomes, hospital stays/NICU admissions, dental health, breastfeeding/doula care, and effects of interventional programs in prison. From this synthesis, recommendations can be made for practice and policy to mitigate barriers to care and thus improve the perinatal outcomes of this vulnerable population.
