Ofira Schwartz-Soicher

Beyond Absenteeism: Father Incarceration and Child Development

High rates of incarceration among American men, coupled with high rates of fatherhood among men in prison, have motivated recent research on the effects of parental imprisonment on children’s development. We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine the relationship between paternal incarceration and developmental outcomes for approximately 3,000 urban children. We estimate cross-sectional and longitudinal regression models that control not only for fathers’ basic demographic characteristics and a rich set of potential confounders, but also for several measures of pre-incarceration child development and family fixed effects. We find significant increases in aggressive behaviors and some evidence of increased attention problems among children whose fathers are incarcerated. The estimated effects of paternal incarceration are stronger than those of other forms of father absence, suggesting that children with incarcerated fathers may require specialized support from caretakers, teachers, and social service providers. The estimated effects are stronger for children who lived with their fathers prior to incarceration but are also significant for children of nonresident fathers, suggesting that incarceration places children at risk through family hardships including and beyond parent-child separation.

The Effect of Paternal Incarceration on Material Hardship

High rates of incarceration among American men, coupled with a high prevalence of fatherhood among the incarcerated, have led to millions of children and families whose fathers are, or have been, in the nation’s jails and prisons. This study uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey to estimate the extent to which paternal incarceration increases family material hardship. Analyses from a series of longitudinal regression models suggest that material hardship is statistically significantly and positively associated with paternal incarceration. These hardships are found to reflect not only a reduction in fathers’ income and financial contributions but also an increase in financial and other family strains. The findings underscore the challenges facing families with incarcerated fathers. They also emphasize the need for efforts by criminal justice agencies and social service providers to help mitigate the risks associated with paternal incarceration.

Neighborhood safety and green space as predictors of obesity among preschool children from low-income families in New York City

BACKGROUND Neighborhood safety, green space, walkability, and sociodemographics may influence physical activity and childhood obesity. METHODS Data on measured height and weight, demographic characteristics, and home ZIP code were collected from year 2004 enrollees in a means-tested preschool program in New York City. Each ZIP code was surrounded by a 400-m buffer and characterized using data from the US census, local government departments, New York Times website, and Transportation Alternatives. Linear and Poisson models were constructed using cluster robust standard errors and adjusting for childs sex, race, ethnicity, age, and neighborhood characteristics. RESULTS Analyses included 11,562 children ages 3-5 years living in 160 residential ZIP codes. A higher homicide rate (at the 75th vs 25th percentile) was associated with a 22% higher prevalence of obesity (95% CI for the prevalence ratio (PR): 1.05 to 1.41). A higher density of street trees (at the 75th vs 25th percentile) was associated with 12% lower prevalence of obesity (95% CI for the PR: 0.79 to 0.99). Other neighborhood characteristics did not have significant associations with childhood obesity. CONCLUSIONS Among preschool children from low-income families, neighborhood homicide rate was associated with more obesity and street tree density was associated with less obesity.

Individual- and School-Level Sociodemographic Predictors of Obesity Among New York City Public School Children

To identify student- and school-level sociodemographic characteristics associated with overweight and obesity, the authors conducted cross-sectional analyses of data from 624,204 public school children (kindergarten through 12th grade) who took part in the 2007-2008 New York City Fitnessgram Program. The overall prevalence of obesity was 20.3%, and the prevalence of overweight was 17.6%. In multivariate models, the odds of being obese as compared with normal weight were higher for boys versus girls (odds ratio (OR) = 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.36, 1.42), for black (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.15) and Hispanic (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.43, 1.53) children as compared with white children, for children receiving reduced-price (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.21) or free (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.15) school lunches as compared with those paying full price, and for US-born students (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.50, 1.58) as compared with foreign-born students. After adjustment for individual-level factors, obesity was associated with the percentage of students who were US-born (across interquartile range (75th percentile vs. 25th), OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.14) and the percentage of students who received free or reduced-price lunches (across interquartile range, OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.18). The authors conclude that individual sociodemographic characteristics and school-level sociodemographic composition are associated with obesity among New York City public school students.

Socio-economic status, neighbourhood food environments and consumption of fruits and vegetables in New York City.

OBJECTIVE Recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption are largely unmet. Lower socio-economic status (SES), neighbourhood poverty and poor access to retail outlets selling healthy foods are thought to predict lower consumption. The objective of the present study was to assess the interrelationships between these risk factors as predictors of fruit and vegetable consumption. DESIGN Cross-sectional multilevel analyses of data on fruit and vegetable consumption, socio-demographic characteristics, neighbourhood poverty and access to healthy retail food outlets. SETTING Survey data from the 2002 and 2004 New York City Community Health Survey, linked by residential zip code to neighbourhood data. SUBJECTS Adult survey respondents (n 15 634). RESULTS Overall 9?9% of respondents reported eating

Life Shocks and Crime: A Test of the “Turning Point” Hypothesis

5 servings of fruits or vegetables in the day prior to the survey. The odds of eating

Prematurity and sudden unexpected infant deaths in the United States

5 servings increased with higher income among women and with higher educational attainment among men and women. Compared with women having less than a high-school education, the OR was 1?12 (95% CI 0?82, 1?55) for high-school graduates, 1?95 (95% CI 1?43, 2?66) for those with some college education and 2?13 (95% CI 1?56, 2?91) for college graduates. The association between education and fruit and vegetable consumption was significantly stronger for women living in lower- v. higher-poverty zip codes (P for interaction,0?05). The density of healthy food outlets did not predict consumption of fruits or vegetables. CONCLUSIONS Higher SES is associated with higher consumption of produce, an association that, in women, is stronger for those residing in lower-poverty neighbourhoods.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and ADHD Diagnosis at Age 9 Years in a National Urban Sample

Other researchers have posited that important events in men’s lives—such as employment, marriage, and parenthood—strengthen their social ties and lead them to refrain from crime. A challenge in empirically testing this hypothesis has been the issue of self-selection into life transitions. This study contributes to this literature by estimating the effects of an exogenous life shock on crime. We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, augmented with information from hospital medical records, to estimate the effects of the birth of a child with a severe health problem on the likelihood that the infant’s father engages in illegal activities. We conduct a number of auxiliary analyses to examine exogeneity assumptions. We find that having an infant born with a severe health condition increases the likelihood that the father is convicted of a crime in the three-year period following the birth of the child, and at least part of the effect appears to operate through work and changes in parental relationships. These results provide evidence that life events can cause crime and, as such, support the “turning point” hypothesis.

Accuracy of birth certificate data by risk factors and outcomes: analysis of data from New Jersey

Despite recommendations for safe sleep education in NICUs, national data indicate SUID rates remain inversely associated with GA. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Prematurity, a strong risk factor for sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), was addressed in recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2011 for safe sleep education in NICUs. We documented associations between gestational age (GA) and SUID subsequent to these guidelines. METHODS: Using the 2012–2013 US linked infant birth and death certificate period files, we documented rates per live births of sudden infant death syndrome, ill-defined and unspecified causes, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, and overall SUID by GA in postneonatal, out-of-hospital, and autopsied cases; compared survivors and cases; and estimated logistic regression models of associations between GA and SUID. RESULTS: SUID cases were more likely than survivors to be <37 weeks’ GA (22.61% vs 10.79%; P < .0001). SUID rates were 2.68, 1.94, 1.46, 1.16, 0.73, and 0.51 per 1000 live births for 24 to 27, 28 to 31, 32 to 33, 34 to 36, 37 to 38, and 39 to 42 weeks’ GA, respectively. Logistic regression models additionally indicated declines in the risk for SUID as GA increased. Prenatal smoking, inadequate prenatal care, and demographics associated with poverty were strongly associated with SUID. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for increased safe sleep education in the NICUs, SUID rates were inversely associated with GA in 2012 to 2013, suggesting that risk of SUID associated with prematurity has multiple etiologies requiring continued investigation, including biological vulnerabilities and the efficacy of NICU education programs, and that strategies to reduce SUID should be multifaceted.

Neighborhood Walkability and Active Travel (Walking and Cycling) in New York City

OBJECTIVE To examine associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at age 9 years using longitudinal data and assess the extent to which ACEs during middle childhood are independently associated with ADHD at age 9 years. METHODS We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Fragile Families urban birth cohort 5- and 9-year interviews. The sample was limited to children for whom mothers were the primary caregiver and mother-reported information on 8 ACEs and ADHD were available at age 5 and 9 years. We examined associations between ACEs and parent-reported ADHD at age 9 years using logistic regression and controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS We included 1572 children; 48% were African American, 11% had parent-reported ADHD at age 9 years, 41% and 42% experienced ≥1 ACE by age 5 years and between the ages of 5 and 9 years, respectively. ACEs before age 5 years were associated with ADHD at age 9 years. One, 2, and ≥3 ACEs between age 5 and 9 years were associated with ADHD at age 9 years even after controlling for ACEs before age 5 years and ADHD at age 5 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-3; AOR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2-3.8; and AOR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1-4.3). CONCLUSIONS In this study of urban children, ACEs occurring before age 5 years as well as between the ages of 5 and 9 years were associated with ADHD at age 9 years. Even after controlling for early childhood ACEs and ADHD at age 5 years, the association between ADHD and ACEs in middle childhood remained significant, highlighting the importance of screening and intervention throughout childhood.