News: National Poverty Awareness Month and Maternal Health: Bridging the Gap to Ensure Maternal Health Equity for All - DePaul Infant Equity Education Program (original) (raw)

National Poverty Awareness Month, observed in January, is a stark reminder of the significant financial struggles of millions and calls for action to reduce poverty and its impacts. Poverty causes 4.5% of annual U.S. deaths (APHSA). This reality underscores the urgency of the issue, highlighting the purpose of this month by inspiring empathy and community action to address the barriers faced by those in need. By addressing poverty’s root causes, we can create a more equitable society where everyone has access to essential resources and fair opportunities.

Poverty occurs when individuals or families lack sufficient financial resources to meet basic needs like shelter, food, and healthcare. This creates a cycle of financial instability, stress, and compromised well-being that is difficult to escape. The Federal Poverty Line (FPL), an annually updated measure of income and poverty status, determines whether households have enough to cover basic needs. It can vary based on income, family size, and state (healthcare.gov, 2024). Falling below this line indicates insufficient income for survival.

However, poverty’s impact extends beyond basic living needs, significantly affecting health by exacerbating health disparities. This is because poverty is an effect of poor social determinants of health (SDOH)—the non-medical, social circumstances that impact an individual's health and access to care. Social determinants like income can cause poverty, which negatively impacts health and perpetuates disparities by limiting access to nutrition, basic healthcare, insurance, proper housing, education, and more. Furthermore, the effects of poverty extend beyond basic health, significantly affecting maternal health by worsening existing health disparities.

From 2018-2022, 15.4% of women aged 18-44 lived below the poverty line, with higher rates among women of color (America’s Health Rankings, 2022). Pregnancy often worsens poverty due to additional healthcare costs, resulting in adverse outcomes such as poor infant and maternal health, delayed cognitive development, and behavioral problems. Key impacts of poverty on maternal health include:

• Malnutrition: Maternal malnutrition often leads to infant health disparities like neural tube defects and long-term risks such as obesity, diabetes, or heart disease (APHSA, 2022)
• Limited Healthcare Access: Parents experiencing poverty face barriers to affordable health insurance essential prenatal and postnatal care (APHSA, 2022).
• Increased Stress: Financial hardship raises maternal stress and cortisol levels, increasing risk of preterm births, low birth weight, and stress-related issues in children (APHSA, 2022).
• Decreased Education Access: Poverty limits education; reducing health literacy, awareness of maternal conditions, proper prenatal care, and more.

However, these are not inevitable outcomes but rather the result of preventable circumstances. National Poverty Awareness Month highlights these challenges and emphasizes the crucial need for maternal health equity. By addressing poverty, we can enable better access to maternal healthcare, ensuring all parents receive quality care during pregnancy and childbirth regardless of socioeconomic status. Ways to improve maternal health by reducing the impacts of poverty are as follows:

• Address Social Determinants of Health: Tackling root causes like employment, housing, and education creates a supportive environment for health equity.
• Support Community-Based Programs: Initiatives focusing on poverty reduction at a community level can bridge gaps in care and outcomes.
• Advocate for Policy Changes: Policies addressing poverty and maternal health disparities, like the PUMP Act, can improve systemic issues and reduce poverty burden.

While poverty can cause malnutrition, breastfeeding can provide essential nutrients and other helpful benefits to infants, particularly if continued for at least six months after birth. Discussed below are some of the various benefits of breastfeeding, especially for those with limited financial resources:

• Cost Effectiveness: Breastfeeding is free, making it a great way to provide nourishment to infants, especially when purchasing formula is not feasible due to high costs.
• Food Security: Those who live in poverty are far more likely to experience food insecurity. Breastfeeding ensures that infants have access to a reliable source of nutrients for the first few months of life.
• Disease Prevention: Breastmilk, rich in essential antibodies that prevent various illnesses, is especially beneficial for infants in impoverished areas where access to clean water and sanitation is limited.

DePaul’s Infant Equity Education Project (DIEEP) supports maternal and infant health equity, amplifying efforts during National Poverty Awareness Month. By addressing SDOH and providing essential resources like breastfeeding support and maternal mental health services, DIEEP works to reduce disparities and improve outcomes for underserved families. Through education, collaboration, and advocacy, DIEEP amplifies awareness of poverty and its challenges, enhances maternal care, and fosters health equity. To learn more about our initiatives, please visit the rest of our website.