Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) Participation Leads to Modest Changes in Diet Quality
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) Participation Leads to Modest Changes in Diet Quality

Author: United States Department of Agriculture

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-07-17

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 9781515104100

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Recent research has shown that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) effectively reduces food insecurity. Questions remain, however, about the extent to which SNAP affects the quality of adult participants' diets. These questions have surfaced in the context of the increasing public costs of diet-related illnesses, such as diabetes, high blood cholesterol, and heart disease, and have led to discussions about restricting the use of SNAP benefits to purchase some food items. This report examines Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores for adults in low-income households that do and do not participate in SNAP. To disentangle the choice of whether to participate in SNAP from diet choices, this model uses a unique data set that matches State-level SNAP policy variables to individual-level data from four waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Two important kinds of results emerge: the effect of SNAP on the diet quality of those who choose to enroll, and a total comparison of SNAP participants and nonparticipants after SNAP's effects are taken into account. On the first, this report shows that SNAP participation results in a large increase in the likelihood of consuming whole fruit and a slightly lower consumption of dark green/orange vegetables. On the second, the report finds that SNAP participants have slightly lower HEI scores (both total and components) than nonparticipants, meaning that they have slightly lower diet quality. They do, however, consume less saturated fat and sodium than nonparticipants.

The Impact of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (snap, Formerly Food Stamp) Participation on Food Purchasing Practices, Diet Quality, and Food Insecurity Among Low-income Older Adults
The Impact of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (snap, Formerly Food Stamp) Participation on Food Purchasing Practices, Diet Quality, and Food Insecurity Among Low-income Older Adults

Author: Temitope Aiyejorun Walker

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13:

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SNAP provides food-purchasing assistance for low-income Americans to alleviate hunger and improve nutrition. However, little is known about how SNAP benefits affect the household's food purchasing practices (FPP), diet quality, and food insecurity especially among low-income older adults whose SNAP participation has been typically lower than younger age groups. The goal of this study is to better understand the changes in FPP, diet quality, and food insecurity with the receipt of SNAP benefits among SNAP-eligible non-participating older adults in Georgia. A longitudinal mixed-methods approach was employed based on a natural experiment following a sample of low-income older Georgians (n=10) as they navigated the SNAP application process. An established SNAP application assistance model was utilized to help the study participants. The impact of SNAP benefit receipt was assessed using in-person interviews, interviewer-administered surveys, grocery receipt collection, and grocery shopping trip observations at three time points: 1) before SNAP benefit receipt, 2) one month after SNAP benefit receipt, and 3) three months after SNAP benefit receipt. Both qualitative and quantitative exploratory data analyses were conducted. At baseline, SNAP-eligible participants reported higher financial constraints, poorer food insecurity, but comparable diet quality in comparison to the general older adult population. The impact of SNAP participation was evident in increasing shifts in household expenditure patterns for food purchased for consumption and improved food security at midpoint. There were notable changes in six FPP constructs and related distinct practices following SNAP benefit receipt such as changes in the types of food purchased and the strategies employed in their purchase. Overall diet quality was not significantly improved after three months of SNAP benefit receipt, but there were significant increases in the intake quality of select nutrients of concern including saturated fat and sodium. The findings of this study provide a more in-depth conceptual understanding of the underlying mechanism of how SNAP benefits affect food and nutrition-related decision-making processes and behavior changes. These findings also support the feasibility of key strategies used in targeting and recruiting low-income older adults for SNAP research and the value of SNAP application assistance in evaluating the impact of SNAP participation.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2013-04-23

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 0309263476

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For many Americans who live at or below the poverty threshold, access to healthy foods at a reasonable price is a challenge that often places a strain on already limited resources and may compel them to make food choices that are contrary to current nutritional guidance. To help alleviate this problem, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers a number of nutrition assistance programs designed to improve access to healthy foods for low-income individuals and households. The largest of these programs is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called the Food Stamp Program, which today serves more than 46 million Americans with a program cost in excess of $75 billion annually. The goals of SNAP include raising the level of nutrition among low-income households and maintaining adequate levels of nutrition by increasing the food purchasing power of low-income families. In response to questions about whether there are different ways to define the adequacy of SNAP allotments consistent with the program goals of improving food security and access to a healthy diet, USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a study to examine the feasibility of defining the adequacy of SNAP allotments, specifically: the feasibility of establishing an objective, evidence-based, science-driven definition of the adequacy of SNAP allotments consistent with the program goals of improving food security and access to a healthy diet, as well as other relevant dimensions of adequacy; and data and analyses needed to support an evidence-based assessment of the adequacy of SNAP allotments. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Examining the Evidence to Define Benefit Adequacy reviews the current evidence, including the peer-reviewed published literature and peer-reviewed government reports. Although not given equal weight with peer-reviewed publications, some non-peer-reviewed publications from nongovernmental organizations and stakeholder groups also were considered because they provided additional insight into the behavioral aspects of participation in nutrition assistance programs. In addition to its evidence review, the committee held a data gathering workshop that tapped a range of expertise relevant to its task.

Does SNAP Decrease Food Insecurity?
Does SNAP Decrease Food Insecurity?

Author: Mark Nord

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 23

ISBN-13: 1437925103

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Self-selection by more food-needy households into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called the Food Stamp Program) makes it difficult to observe positive effects of the program in survey data. This study investigates self-selection and ameliorative program effects by examining households¿ food security month by month for several months prior to initial receipt of SNAP benefits and for several months after joining the program. Food security is observed to deteriorate in the 6 months prior to beginning to receive SNAP benefits and to improve shortly after. The results clearly demonstrate the self-selection by households into SNAP at a time when they are more severely food insecure. Charts and tables.

Strengthening the Public Health Impacts of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Through Policy
Strengthening the Public Health Impacts of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Through Policy

Author: Sara Bleich

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the cornerstone of the US nutrition safety net. Each month, SNAP provides assistance to 40 million low-income Americans--nearly half of them children. A number of changes could strengthen the public health impacts of SNAP. This review first presents a framework describing the mechanisms through which SNAP policy can influence public health, particularly by affecting the food security, the diet quality, and, subsequently, the health of SNAP participants. We then discusspolicy opportunities with the greatest potential to strengthen the public health impacts of SNAP, organized into three areas: () food production and distribution, () benefit allocation, and () eligibility and enrollment. For each section, we describe current policy and limitations of the status quo, suggest evidence-based opportunities for policy change to improve public health, and identify important areas for future research.

Food Stamps and Obesity
Food Stamps and Obesity

Author: Michele L. Ver Ploeg

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Results from reviewed studies indicate that for most participants in the Food Stamp Program - children, nonelderly men, and the elderly-use of food stamp benefits does not result in an increase in either Body Mass Index (BMI) or the likelihood of being overweight or obese. However, for nonelderly women, who account for 28 percent of the food stamp caseload, some evidence suggests that participation in the Food Stamp Program may increase BMI and the probability of obesity. Different results for age and sex subgroups remain unexplained. Further, because food stamp benefits are issued to households, not individuals, mixed results across age and sex subgroups make it difficult to target policy alternatives to address potential weight gain among some participants while not affecting others in the household.

A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty
A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2019-09-16

Total Pages: 619

ISBN-13: 0309483980

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The strengths and abilities children develop from infancy through adolescence are crucial for their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth, which in turn help them to achieve success in school and to become responsible, economically self-sufficient, and healthy adults. Capable, responsible, and healthy adults are clearly the foundation of a well-functioning and prosperous society, yet America's future is not as secure as it could be because millions of American children live in families with incomes below the poverty line. A wealth of evidence suggests that a lack of adequate economic resources for families with children compromises these children's ability to grow and achieve adult success, hurting them and the broader society. A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty reviews the research on linkages between child poverty and child well-being, and analyzes the poverty-reducing effects of major assistance programs directed at children and families. This report also provides policy and program recommendations for reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half within 10 years.

Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States
Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States

Author: National Bureau of Economic Research

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2003-10-15

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9780226533568

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Few United States government programs are as controversial as those designed to aid the poor. From tax credits to medical assistance, aid to needy families is surrounded by debate—on what benefits should be offered, what forms they should take, and how they should be administered. The past few decades, in fact, have seen this debate lead to broad transformations of aid programs themselves, with Aid to Families with Dependent Children replaced by Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, the Earned Income Tax Credit growing from a minor program to one of the most important for low-income families, and Medicaid greatly expanding its eligibility. This volume provides a remarkable overview of how such programs actually work, offering an impressive wealth of information on the nation's nine largest "means-tested" programs—that is, those in which some test of income forms the basis for participation. For each program, contributors describe origins and goals, summarize policy histories and current rules, and discuss the recipient's characteristics as well as the different types of benefits they receive. Each chapter then provides an overview of scholarly research on each program, bringing together the results of the field's most rigorous statistical examinations. The result is a fascinating portrayal of the evolution and current state of means-tested programs, one that charts a number of shifts in emphasis—the decline of cash assistance, for instance, and the increasing emphasis on work. This exemplary portrait of the nation's safety net will be an invaluable reference for anyone interested in American social policy.

A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System
A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2015-06-17

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 030930783X

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How we produce and consume food has a bigger impact on Americans' well-being than any other human activity. The food industry is the largest sector of our economy; food touches everything from our health to the environment, climate change, economic inequality, and the federal budget. From the earliest developments of agriculture, a major goal has been to attain sufficient foods that provide the energy and the nutrients needed for a healthy, active life. Over time, food production, processing, marketing, and consumption have evolved and become highly complex. The challenges of improving the food system in the 21st century will require systemic approaches that take full account of social, economic, ecological, and evolutionary factors. Policy or business interventions involving a segment of the food system often have consequences beyond the original issue the intervention was meant to address. A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System develops an analytical framework for assessing effects associated with the ways in which food is grown, processed, distributed, marketed, retailed, and consumed in the United States. The framework will allow users to recognize effects across the full food system, consider all domains and dimensions of effects, account for systems dynamics and complexities, and choose appropriate methods for analysis. This report provides example applications of the framework based on complex questions that are currently under debate: consumption of a healthy and safe diet, food security, animal welfare, and preserving the environment and its resources. A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System describes the U.S. food system and provides a brief history of its evolution into the current system. This report identifies some of the real and potential implications of the current system in terms of its health, environmental, and socioeconomic effects along with a sense for the complexities of the system, potential metrics, and some of the data needs that are required to assess the effects. The overview of the food system and the framework described in this report will be an essential resource for decision makers, researchers, and others to examine the possible impacts of alternative policies or agricultural or food processing practices.