In the News: Colleen Heflin

"Food Insecurity and the Opioid Crisis," co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs, and postdoctoral research scholar Xiaohan Sun, was published in the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

This study finds that children in households that participate in more than one social assistance program (such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, and Free or Reduced-Price Lunch) have lower literacy skills when they enter kindergarten than children whose households participate in fewer or no social programs. 

“Unfortunately,” says Colleen Heflin, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs, “my own work suggests that cognitive decline can act as a barrier to SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] participation among older adults eligible for the program, due to the difficult administrative processes associated with demonstrating program eligibility.”

“The lack of access to food can make older Americans more socially isolated,” says Colleen Heflin, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs.

"Recent data from the Department of Defense indicates that one in four service members were food insecure at the end of 2020," says Colleen Heflin, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs.

"Inequality in Literacy Skills at Kindergarten Entry at the Intersections of Social Programs and Race," co-authored by public administration and international affairs professors Michah Rothbart and Colleen Heflin, was published in Children and Youth Services Review.

"Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation and Medication Adherence Among Medicaid-Insured Older Adults Living with Hypertension," co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

This brief summarizes the key findings of a memorandum and discusses what can be done to improve food security among active-duty military members and their families.

"Screening for food insecurity can at least provide the clinician some sense of the risks their patients might be facing and their potential negative health consequences," says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

This brief summarizes the policy changes made in Virginia and describes how those changes improved child care subsidy stability and participation in that state.

"Room to grow: examining participation and stability in child care subsidies using state administrative data," co-authored by Professor Colleen Heflin and M.P.A. student W. Clay Fannin, was published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly.

"Patterns of Earnings and Employment by Worker Sex, Race, and Ethnicity Using State Administrative Data: Results from a Sample of Workers Connected to Public Assistance Programs," co-authored by Professor Colleen Heflin, was published in Race and Social Problems.

“Material Hardship and the Living Arrangements of Older Adults,” written by Colleen Heflin and Hannah Patnaik, was published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues.

Professor Colleen Heflin was interviewed on the This Week in Sociological Perspective podcast about her upcoming paper, "Exposure to Food Insecurity during Adolescence and Educational Attainment."

Pandemic research by Maxwell faculty and students is shaping policy and perception on everything from aging to opioid addiction.

This brief summarizes findings from research examining the connection between SNAP participation and preventative care in an infant’s first year of life in Missouri.