Abstract
Objective
To examine the association of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
and diet quality among low-income adults.
Patients and Methods
We examined US nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Surveys 2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2007-2008, and 2009-2010. The data were
analyzed from October 7, 2013, to March 1, 2014. The analytic sample consisted of
4211 low-income adults aged 20 to 64 years, of whom 1830 participate in SNAP. We adhered
to the National Cancer Institute method in calculating the Healthy Eating Index 2010
and other dietary indicators, such as empty calorie intake. Bivariate and multivariable
regression was used to compare SNAP participants and income-eligible nonparticipants
among the full sample and subsamples of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and food insecurity.
Results
Compared with low-income nonparticipants, adjusted analyses reveal that SNAP participants
had lower dietary quality scores overall (42.58 vs 44.36, P≤.0001) and lower scores for fruits and vegetables, seafood and plant proteins (1.55
vs 1.77, P≤.0022), and empty calories (9.03 vs 9.90, P≤.0001), but they exhibited comparable scores on whole grain, refined grain, total
dairy, total protein, fatty acid, and sodium intakes. The association between SNAP
participation and lower dietary quality was statistically significant among women,
Hispanics, young adults, and individuals who were food secure.
Conclusion
Our analyses suggest that SNAP participants have lower dietary quality than their
income-eligible nonparticipant counterparts. Although SNAP has an important role in
providing nutrition assistance to eligible low-income individuals, interventions are
warranted to improve the dietary quality of participants.
Abbreviations and Acronyms:
BMI (body mass index), HEI (Healthy Eating Index), HIP (Healthy Incentive Pilot), MEC (mobile examination center), NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), PIR (poverty-income ratio), SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), SNAP-Ed (SNAP education program), SSB (sugar-sweetened beverage), USDA (US Department of Agriculture), WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: August 05, 2014
Identification
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© 2014 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
