Reports
SNAP and Public Health: The Role of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Improving the Health and Well-Being of Americans (PDF | 226 KB)Food Research and Action Center.
A recent brief describing the positive public health effects of SNAP participation. January 2013.
Food Insecurity Among Households With Working-Age Adults With DisabilitiesUSDA. Economic Research Service.
This report examines the effects of disabilities on household food security using newly available data on disabilities among adults from the Current Population Survey. January 2013.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Examining the Evidence to Define Benefit Adequacy
The National Press Academies Press.
This book consists of an evidence-based review of the adequacy of SNAP allotments, specifically examining 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. In addition, the book examines other relevant dimensions of adequacy; and data and analyses needed to support an evidence-based assessment of the adequacy of SNAP allotments.
How Economic Conditions Affect Participation in USDA Nutrition ProgramsUSDA. Economic Research Service.
This study examines the relationship between U.S. economic conditions and participation in the USDA's five largest nutrition assistance programs, including SNAP, as well as how changes in the program policy and other factors may have influenced this relationship. The results strongly suggest that, to varying degrees, economic conditions influence participation in all the major nutrition assistance programs. September 2012.
Alleviating Poverty in the United States: The Critical Role of SNAP BenefitsUSDA. Economic Research Service.
Report details the impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on poverty in the United States. Researchers used Current Population Survey data to examine the effect of SNAP on poverty from 2000-2009. Data showed that SNAP benefits decreased the prevalence of poverty as well as the depth and severity of poverty, with a particularly strong effect on reducing the depth of childhood poverty. View Full Report in (PDF 3.4MB). April 2012.
Building a Healthy America: A Profile of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (PDF | 3.27MB)USDA. FNS.Office of Research and Analysis
Report provides a complete overview of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), it's participants, operations, and outcomes. The report is broken up into eight main sections each of which uses current and past data and research to present information about SNAP and it's participants. Report also includes data about SNAP requirements, effectiveness and efficiency, and benefit distribution. April 2012.
Effects on Childhood Obesity of Participation in Multiple Federal Nutrition Assistance ProgramsGeorgia State University and Southern Methodist University.
Investigates the relationships between participation in the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and childhood
obesity. Findings show simultaneous participation in all three programs is unrelated to childhood obesity in low-income households. Click on PDF (629 KB) for full text article. March 2012
The Food Assistance Landscape: FY 2011 Annual ReportUSDA. Economic Research Service
"This report examines trends in the USDA's food and nutrition assistance programs through fiscal 2011. It also summarizes a number of ERS research reorts on WIC-related topics that were released in fiscal 2011." March 2012.
Previous Reports: FY 2010, FY 2009.
What’s Behind the Rise in SNAP Participation?USDA. Economic Research Service.
This article draws from research and reports to speculate the reasoning behind the rise in SNAP participation from 2001 to 2011. March 2012
The Multiple Contexts of Food Insecurity: Evaluating the Impact on Child Energy BalanceUniversity of Utah.
This study explores the impact of food insecurity, school environment and food infrastructure on elementary school-aged children’s body weight, food purchasing decisions and physical activity choices. Results show that Federal support for nutrition in the form of expenditures, a lower county unemployment rate, higher average wages, and access to unemployment compensation are associated with a lower risk of being food insecure. Click on PDF (206 KB) for full text article. December 2011
Errors in Survey Reporting and Imputation and Their Effects on Estimates of Food Stamp Program ParticipationUniversity of Chicago.
Report looks at the under-reporting of receipt of Food Stamp Program (FSP) benefits by eligible people in household surveys. Administrative data on FSP participation in two States are matched to American Community Survey (ACS) and Current Population Survey (CPS) data. Results indicate nearly 35 percent of true recipient households in the ACS and 50 percent in the CPS do not report receipt. Click on PDF (206 KB) for full text article. December 2011
Food Security of SNAP Recipients Improved Following the 2009 Stimulus PackageUSDA. Economic Research Service.
Report summarizes the findings of an ERS analysis of the impact that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 had on low income households' food security. June 2011.
Does SNAP Decrease Food Insecurity? Untangling the Self-Selection EffectUSDA. Economic Research Service.
This study investigates self-selection and ameliorative effects of the SNAP program 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. October 2009.
Effects of Economic Conditions and Program Policy on State Food Stamp Program Caseloads, 2000 to 2006 (PDF | 1277)USDA. Economic Research Service.
Study combines State panel data and qualitative interviews to examine the economic and policy factors associated with the sharp increase in the number of Food Stamp Program (FSP) participants between 2000 and 2006. This period is particularly interesting because the rise in participation between 2003 and 2006 occurred while the national economy was improving. August 2009
Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and their Consequences (PDF | 3.5MB)USDA. Economic Research Service.
A congressional report showing the impact of food deserts on Americans. June 2009
Can Low-Income Americans Afford a Healthy Diet? (PDF | 64 KB)University of Washington Center for Public Health Nutrition.
This publication examines the lower diet quality that often is seen in low-income Americans and promotes affordable nutrient rich foods as a viable alternative. March 2009
Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs: FANRP Research FindingsUSDA. Economic Research Service.
The Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP) supports a broad spectrum of food and nutrition assistance research. ERS has compiled an electronic database of the hundreds of peer-reviewed reports and articles based on FANRP-supported research published at ERS and elsewhere.
State of the States 2008: A Profile of Food & Nutrition Programs across the Nation (PDF | 2.11 MB)Food Research Action Center.
The data in this report describe the extent of hunger and food insecurity and the use of nutrition programs for the United States as a whole and for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, giving a snapshot of how well or badly each state is doing in using available tools to meet the needs of hungry people and improve the health of low-income families. November 2008
Household Food Security and Tradeoffs in the Food Budget of Food Stamp Program Participants: An Engel Function Approach (PDF | 635KB)USDA. Economic Research Service.
"This study develops a framework for differentiating true Food Stamp Program impacts on food security from those that arise because households with the most severe food-related hardships are more likely to participate in the program." March 2008
Sources of Variation in State-Level Food Stamp Participation Rates (PDF | 539KB)USDA. Economic Research Service.
"Using data for 2003 from the Food Stamp Program Quality Control and Current Population Survey, this study examined factors that help to explain the variation in the participation rate in the Food Stamp Program across States." March 2008
The Costs of Benefit Delivery in the Food Stamp Program: Lessons From a Cross-Program AnalysisUSDA. Economic Research Service.
"This study compares the Food Stamp Program (FSP) with eight other public assistance programs across four measures of program effectiveness-administrative costs, error payments, program access, and benefit targeting. Results show that the FSP and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) present contrasting patterns. Low administrative costs also appear to be inversely associated with good program access for recipients. Also, programs that are more highly targeted tend to have higher benefit delivery costs." View full report in PDF (472 KB). March 2008
Food Stamps and Obesity: What Do We Know?
USDA. Economic Research Service.
"Results from reviewed studies indicate that for most participants in the Food Stamp Program use of food stamp benefits does not result in an increase in either 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." March 2008.
Could Behavioral Economics Help Improve Diet Quality for Nutrition Assistance Program Participants?
USDA. Economic Research Service.
This study uses behavioral economics, food marketing, and psychology to identify possible options for improving the diets and health of participants in food assistance programs. June 2007
Struggling To Feed the Family: What Does It Mean To Be Food Insecure?
USDA. Economic Research Service.
Statistics on food security and what they reveals about individual food hardship and, more generally, the character and extent of material hardship. June 2007
Who Has Time To Cook? How Family Resources Influence Food PreparationUSDA. Economic Research Service.
This study finds that household time resources significantly affect how much time is allocated to preparing food. The results are relevant for the design of food assistance programs as well as for improving our understanding of how different family time resources affect consumption behavior. May 2007
Characteristics of Low-Income Households With Very Low Food Security: An Analysis of the USDA GPRA Food Security IndicatorUSDA. Economic Research Service.
This report describes characteristics of low-income households that had very low food security in 2005. May 2007
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