Lived Experiences of Families Navigating Safety Net Expansions and Retractions During the Pandemic

A Qualitative Study

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11035601
AutoresNicole Fernández-Viña (0009-0004-7018-093X, Nicole Fernández-Viña and Lia C. H. Fernald are with the Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Rita Hamad and Kaitlyn E. Jackson are with the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Wendi Gosliner is with the Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Oakland, CA.), Lia C H Fernald (0000-0003-1555-4607, Nicole Fernández-Viña and Lia C. H. Fernald are with the Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Rita Hamad and Kaitlyn E. Jackson are with the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Wendi Gosliner is with the Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Oakland, CA.), R Hamad (0000-0003-0730-4077, Nicole Fernández-Viña and Lia C. H. Fernald are with the Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Rita Hamad and Kaitlyn E. Jackson are with the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Wendi Gosliner is with the Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Oakland, CA.), Kaitlyn E Jackson (0000-0002-5154-1494, Nicole Fernández-Viña and Lia C. H. Fernald are with the Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Rita Hamad and Kaitlyn E. Jackson are with the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Wendi Gosliner is with the Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Oakland, CA.), Wendi Gosliner (0000-0001-5092-9289, Nicole Fernández-Viña and Lia C. H. Fernald are with the Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Rita Hamad and Kaitlyn E. Jackson are with the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Wendi Gosliner is with the Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Oakland, CA.)
Año2025
Volumen115
Número11
Páginas1836-1847
Fecha de publicación2025-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
EditorialAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2025.308201
PMID40875951
OpenAlexW4413782015
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas18

Objectives. To understand the experiences of families with low income in California with pandemic safety net support expansions and retractions, including barriers to program access. Methods. Using open-ended questions, we explored the self-reported experiences of pandemic-era safety net expansions and expirations between January and June 2023 among a group of caregivers of young children (n = 44). We used the Immersion-Crystallization technique to analyze the data, creating a codebook and identifying themes as they emerged. Results. We identified 4 main themes, including appreciation for safety net expansions, varied experiences because of the timing of supports, challenges meeting basic needs after expirations, and administrative burdens significantly impairing program access. Conclusions. The study themes highlighted how expansions to policies like the Child Tax Credit and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program improved food and housing security, and that unpredictable benefits, although appreciated, also added stress. Public Health Implications. State and federal policymakers should consider the poverty reduction and food and housing security benefits of expansions to pandemic-era supports that have expired when crafting future policy. They should pay special attention to addressing administrative barriers to reduce poverty-related health inequities. ( Am J Public Health. 2025;115(11):1836–1847. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308201 )

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Environmental health · Family medicine · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Pandemic · Pathology · Qualitative research · Safety net · Social science · Sociology · Agricultural risk and resilience · Demography · Healthcare Policy and Management · Insurance and Financial Risk Management · Medicine · Gerontology