HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (5) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kaplan, G. A. Articles by Tolman, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kaplan, G. A. Articles by Tolman, R. Related Collections Diabetes Epidemiology Obesity, Overweight, Underweight African Americans/Blacks Socioeconomic Factors Women's Health

George A. Kaplan, PhD, Kristine Siefert, PhD, Nalini Ranjit, PhD, Trivellore E. Raghunathan, PhD, Elizabeth A. Young, PhD, Diem Tran, MPH, Sandra Danziger, PhD, Susan Hudson, RN, MSN, MS, John W. Lynch, PhD and Richard Tolman, PhD

George A. Kaplan, Nalini Ranjit, Diem Tran, and John W. Lynch are with the Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Kristine Siefert, Sandra Danziger, and Richard Tolman are with the School of Social Work, Trivellore E. Raghunathan is with the Department of Biostatistics and Survey Research Center, and Elizabeth A. Young is with the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Susan Hudson is with the Genesee County Health Department, Flint, Michigan.

Correspondence: Request for reprints should be sent to George A. Kaplan, PhD, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, 1214 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (e-mail: gkaplan{at}umich.edu).

Objectives. We compared the health of single mothers affected by welfare reform with the health of a nationally representative sample of women to document the prevalence of poor health as single mothers experience the effects of welfare reform.

Methods. We compared risk factors and measures of health among women randomly sampled from the welfare rolls with similar data from a nationally representative sample of women.

Results. Women in our welfare recipient sample had higher rates of elevated glycosylated hemoglobin ( 6%; prevalence ratio [PR]=4.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.69, 7.04), hypertension (systole 140 or diastole 90; PR=2.36; 95% CI = 1.47, 3.24), high body mass index ( 30; PR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.49, 2.08), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( 35 mg/dL; PR=1.91; 95% CI=1.17, 2.65); lower peak expiratory flow; and less physical functioning. Current smoking rates were higher (PR = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.50, 2.19) and smoking cessation rates were lower (PR=0.62; 95% CI=0.37, 0.86) than in the national sample.

Conclusions. Current and former welfare recipients bear a substantial burden of illness. Further studies are necessary to interpret our findings of worsened health in the wake of welfare reform.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. C. Rice, M. N. Wicks, and J. C. Martin Health Risk Characteristics of Black Female Informal Caregivers on Welfare Clin Nurs Res, February 1, 2008; 17(1): 20 - 31. [Abstract] [PDF]

				H. Graham, H. M Inskip, B. Francis, and J. Harman Pathways of disadvantage and smoking careers: evidence and policy implications J Epidemiol Community Health, September 1, 2006; 60(suppl_2): ii7 - ii12. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]