Introduction
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest nutrition assistance
program in the U.S. This study's objective was to examine the associations between
SNAP participation and young children's health and development, caregiver health,
and family economic hardships.
Methods
Cross-sectional data from 2006 to 2016 were analyzed in 2017 for families with children
aged <3 years in 5 cities. Generalized estimating equations and logistic regression
were used to evaluate the associations of SNAP participation with child and caregiver
health outcomes and food insecurity, forgone health care, and health cost sacrifices.
Nonparticipants that were likely to be eligible for SNAP were compared with SNAP participants
and analyses adjusted for covariates including Consumer Price Index for food to control
for site-specific food prices.
Results
The adjusted odds of fair or poor child health status (AOR=0.92, 95% CI=0.86, 0.98),
developmental risk (AOR=0.82, 95% CI=0.69, 0.96), underweight, and obesity in children
were lower among SNAP participants than among nonparticipants. In addition, food insecurity
in households and among children, and health cost sacrifices were lower among SNAP
participants than among nonparticipants.
Conclusions
Participation in SNAP is associated with reduced household and child food insecurity,
lower odds of poor health and growth and developmental risk among infants and toddlers,
and reduced hardships because of healthcare costs for their families. Improved SNAP
participation and increased SNAP benefits that match the regional cost of food may
be effective preventive health strategies for promoting the well-being of families
with young children.
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© 2019 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Ettinger de Cuba SA, Bovell-Ammon AR, Cook JT, et al. SNAP, young children's health, and family food security and healthcare access. Am J Prev Med. 2019;57(4)525–532American Journal of Preventive MedicineVol. 57Issue 6
