scholarly journals Dietary Behaviors and Diet Quality of Low‐Income Children in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy W Leung ◽  
Elena E Hoffnagle ◽  
Helen H Jensen ◽  
Susan B Foerster ◽  
Suzanne P Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ◽  
Dietary Behaviors ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Low Income Children ◽  
Nutrition Assistance

Role of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Improving Diet Quality: Implications for Nurses

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-70
Author(s):  
Victoria M. Pak ◽  
Erin Ferranti ◽  
Ingrid Duva ◽  
Melissa Owen ◽  
Sandra B. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Health Goals ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Nutrition Assistance

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides access to healthy food for low-income individuals and households. Food security, however, does not necessarily achieve higher diet quality for beneficiaries. Diet quality is an important consideration for the development and management of chronic illness, a significant public health concern. In this study, we review incentives and disincentives implemented to improve the diet quality, the evidence on SNAP including benefits, challenges, and the politics of funding. New interventions and policies will be needed in order to improve the overall diet quality of SNAP households. SNAP should align with nutritional science to meet national public health goals. Nurses are trusted advocates for patients and the public and are uniquely positioned to aid in this effort. Informed by evidence, nurses willing to leverage their influence, can lead this needed change.

scholarly journals Strategies to improve the dietary quality of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries: an assessment of stakeholder opinions

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 2824-2833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan J Blumenthal ◽  
Elena E Hoffnagle ◽  
Cindy W Leung ◽  
Hayley Lofink ◽  
Helen H Jensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Monetary Incentives ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Health Goals ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Nutrition Assistance

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the opinions of stakeholders on strategies to improve dietary quality of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants.DesignParticipants answered a thirty-eight-item web-based survey assessing opinions and perceptions of SNAP and programme policy changes.SettingUSA.SubjectsSurvey of 522 individuals with stakeholder interest in SNAP, conducted in October through December 2011.ResultsThe top three barriers to improving dietary quality identified were: (i) unhealthy foods marketed in low-income communities; (ii) the high cost of healthy foods; and (iii) lifestyle challenges faced by low-income individuals. Many respondents (70 %) also disagreed that current SNAP benefit levels were adequate to maintain a healthy diet. Stakeholders believed that vouchers, coupons or monetary incentives for purchasing healthful foods might have the greatest potential for improving the diets of SNAP participants. Many respondents (78 %) agreed that sodas should not be eligible for purchases with SNAP benefits. More than half (55 %) believed retailers could easily implement such restrictions. A majority of respondents (58 %) agreed that stores should stock a minimum quantity of healthful foods in order to be certified as a SNAP retailer, and most respondents (83 %) believed that the US Department of Agriculture should collect data on the foods purchased with SNAP benefits.ConclusionsResults suggest that there is broad stakeholder support for policies that align SNAP purchase eligibility with national public health goals of reducing food insecurity, improving nutrition and preventing obesity.

scholarly journals Farmers’ market shopping and dietary behaviours among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 2407-2414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie B Jilcott Pitts ◽  
Qiang Wu ◽  
Chelsea L Demarest ◽  
Crystal E Dixon ◽  
Ciarra JM Dortche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Dietary Behaviours ◽  
Nutrition Assistance ◽  
Low Income Consumers

AbstractObjectiveBecause farmers’ markets include a variety of fruits and vegetables, shopping at farmers’ markets would likely improve diet quality among low-income consumers, as well as promote sustainable direct farm-to-consumer business models. However, not much is known about how to promote farmers’ market shopping among low-income consumers. Therefore, the purpose of the present paper was to examine barriers to and facilitators of shopping at farmers’ markets and associations between shopping at farmers’ markets and self-reported dietary behaviours (fruit and vegetable, sugar-sweetened beverage and fast-food consumption) and BMI.DesignCross-sectional analyses of associations between farmers’ market shopping frequency, awareness of markets, access to markets, dietary behaviours and BMI.SettingDepartment of Social Services, Pitt County, eastern North Carolina, USA.SubjectsBetween April and July 2013, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants (n205) completed a quantitative survey.ResultsBarriers to shopping at farmers’ markets included does not accept SNAP/electronic benefit transfer, out of the way and lack of transportation. Farmers’ market shopping was associated with awareness of farmers’ markets (estimate =0·18 (se0·04),P<0·001). Fruit and vegetable consumption was positively associated with farmers’ market shopping (estimate =1·06 (se0·32),P=0·001).ConclusionsOur study is one of the first to examine SNAP participants’ farmers’ market shopping, distance to farmers’ markets and dietary behaviours. Barriers to shopping at farmers’ markets and increasing awareness of existing markets should be addressed in future interventions to increase SNAP participants’ use of farmers’ markets, ultimately improving diet quality in this high-risk group.

scholarly journals Dietary intake and dietary quality of low-income adults in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

2012 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 977-988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy W Leung ◽  
Eric L Ding ◽  
Paul J Catalano ◽  
Eduardo Villamor ◽  
Eric B Rimm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Nutrition Assistance

scholarly journals Nutritional quality of retail food purchases is not associated with participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for nutrition-oriented households

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0240263
Author(s):  
Yu Chen ◽  
Biing‐Hwan Lin ◽  
Lisa Mancino ◽  
Michele Ver Ploeg ◽  
Chen Zhen
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Food Purchases ◽  
Quality Of Food ◽  
Nutrition Assistance

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides millions of low-income Americans food benefits and other forms of nutrition assistance. Evidence indicates that SNAP reduces food insecurity. However, there is a concern that the food benefit may increase the demand for less healthy foods more than healthier foods, thereby reducing the overall nutritional quality of the participant’s food basket. This paper aims to examine the association of SNAP participation with the nutritional quality of food-at-home purchases of low-income households and to investigate the potential heterogeneity among consumers with different levels of nutrition attitude. This analysis used food purchase data from the USDA National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS). Our study sample included 2,218 low-income households, of which 1,184 are SNAP participants, and 1,034 are income-eligible nonparticipants. Multivariate regressions were performed to explore the SNAP-nutritional quality association. A household’s nutrition attitude was measured using its response to a question on whether the household searched for nutrition information online in the last 2 months. Households that affirmed they had an online nutrition search were treated as nutrition-oriented households (21.2% of the low-income sample), and households that did not were considered less nutrition-oriented households (78.8%). For robustness, we also created an alternative nutrition attitude measure based on reported use of the nutrition facts label. We found that among less nutrition-oriented households, SNAP participants had a statistically significant 0.097 points (p = 0.018) lower Guiding Stars rating than low-income nonparticipants. However, there was no significant SNAP-nutritional quality association among nutrition-oriented households. In conclusion, SNAP participation was associated with lower nutritional quality of food purchases among less nutrition-oriented households, but not among nutrition-oriented households. The results suggest that the intended nutritional benefits of restrictions on purchases of healthy foods may not reach the subgroup of nutrition-oriented SNAP participants.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document