Impact of the supplemental nutritional assistance program on diet-related disease morbidity among older adults.

Objectives: To examine the health effects of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and the differential impact of SNAP across race/ethnicity among older adults. Data Source/Study Setting: 2008-2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative population-based complex sample survey. Study Design: A difference-in-regression-discontinuity (DRD) design is used to assess the impacts of SNAP on diet-related disease morbidity. The primary outcomes were the prevalence rate of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. We also conducted supplemental analysis to examine potential co-occurring trends in medical utilization. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: Data are publicly available. Principal Findings: In the full sample, SNAP eligibility was associated with a significant decline in diabetes (-3.71 percentage points [pp]; P < .05). Non-Hispanic (NH) White respondents reported trends similar to the full sample; however, NH Black respondents reported large declines in hypertension (-13.95 pp; P < .01) and Hispanic respondents reported declines in the prevalence of angina (-6.94 pp; P < .05) and stroke (-4.48 pp; P < .05). Conclusions: Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program eligibility was associated with the reduced prevalence of diet-related disease among older adults. These observed declines in the prevalence of diet-related disease do not appear to be attributable to increased medical visits or spending on medical services and prescriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]