"No reason for children to go hungry": Rural U.S. caregivers' perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy.

In the context of the increasingly polarized U.S. political environments of the 2016 and 2020 elections, how did rural caregivers think about food and health policies? To answer this question, researchers interviewed 50 low-income women living in two rural N.C. counties in 2016/7 and 2020 as part of...

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Main Authors: Annie Hardison-Moody, Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, Sarah K Bowen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320453
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author Annie Hardison-Moody
Lindsey Haynes-Maslow
Sarah K Bowen
author_facet Annie Hardison-Moody
Lindsey Haynes-Maslow
Sarah K Bowen
author_sort Annie Hardison-Moody
collection DOAJ
description In the context of the increasingly polarized U.S. political environments of the 2016 and 2020 elections, how did rural caregivers think about food and health policies? To answer this question, researchers interviewed 50 low-income women living in two rural N.C. counties in 2016/7 and 2020 as part of a broader longitudinal qualitative study of family food environments. As participants reflected on elections and food assistance policies, caregivers focused on their experiences as mothers and described current or potential policies and programs in light of how they would impact their children. Caregivers also made recommendations for universal and inclusive policies that would improve their access to food. However, their responses were also racialized, with White caregivers more likely to use tropes of "deservingness" when discussing public benefits. To improve food security in rural areas, researchers should center rural low-income women's perspectives when developing food policy, particularly given the important role mothers play in feeding their families and mitigating the impacts of food insecurity.
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spelling doaj-art-7a34c0fb327c484099b64d7d2b758b372025-08-20T02:47:37ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01207e032045310.1371/journal.pone.0320453"No reason for children to go hungry": Rural U.S. caregivers' perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy.Annie Hardison-MoodyLindsey Haynes-MaslowSarah K BowenIn the context of the increasingly polarized U.S. political environments of the 2016 and 2020 elections, how did rural caregivers think about food and health policies? To answer this question, researchers interviewed 50 low-income women living in two rural N.C. counties in 2016/7 and 2020 as part of a broader longitudinal qualitative study of family food environments. As participants reflected on elections and food assistance policies, caregivers focused on their experiences as mothers and described current or potential policies and programs in light of how they would impact their children. Caregivers also made recommendations for universal and inclusive policies that would improve their access to food. However, their responses were also racialized, with White caregivers more likely to use tropes of "deservingness" when discussing public benefits. To improve food security in rural areas, researchers should center rural low-income women's perspectives when developing food policy, particularly given the important role mothers play in feeding their families and mitigating the impacts of food insecurity.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320453
spellingShingle Annie Hardison-Moody
Lindsey Haynes-Maslow
Sarah K Bowen
"No reason for children to go hungry": Rural U.S. caregivers' perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy.
PLoS ONE
title "No reason for children to go hungry": Rural U.S. caregivers' perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy.
title_full "No reason for children to go hungry": Rural U.S. caregivers' perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy.
title_fullStr "No reason for children to go hungry": Rural U.S. caregivers' perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy.
title_full_unstemmed "No reason for children to go hungry": Rural U.S. caregivers' perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy.
title_short "No reason for children to go hungry": Rural U.S. caregivers' perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy.
title_sort no reason for children to go hungry rural u s caregivers perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320453
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