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Emergency Allotments in SNAP and Food Hardship Among Households With Children.
- Source :
-
JAMA network open [JAMA Netw Open] 2024 Aug 01; Vol. 7 (8), pp. e2428680. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 01. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Importance: Households with children and minoritized racial and ethnic groups experience a disproportionate burden of food hardship. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US federal government implemented emergency allotments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), increasing the amount of food purchasing assistance received by many participating households.<br />Objective: To examine the association of implementing emergency allotments in SNAP with food hardship among households with children overall and for households with Black, Hispanic, and White children by comparing income-eligible households that did and did not participate in SNAP.<br />Design, Setting, and Participants: This ecologic cross-sectional study used 2016-2022 National Survey of Children's Health data and a difference-in-differences approach to compare changes in the risk of food hardship from before implementation of emergency allotments in SNAP (2016-2019) to during implementation (2020-2022). Households with children younger than 18 years and incomes 130% or less of the federal poverty level (FPL) in all 50 states and Washington, DC, were included.<br />Exposure: Implementation of emergency allotments in SNAP.<br />Main Outcome and Measures: The primary outcome was caregiver report of household food hardship during the past 12 months.<br />Results: Of 44 753 households with incomes 130% or less of the FPL, a weighted 23.4% had Black children, 56.7% had White children, and 19.9% had children of other races. More than one-third of households (37.8%) had Hispanic children, and 31.8% had young children aged 0 to 5 years. The percentage of households that experienced food hardship decreased from 2016 to 2021 (from 62.9% to 48.2% among SNAP-participating households and from 44.3% to 38.9% among income-eligible nonparticipating households) but increased in 2022 (to 58.0% among SNAP-participating households and to 47.5% among nonparticipating households). Adjusting for confounders, implementing emergency allotments in SNAP was associated with a decreased risk of food hardship among SNAP-participating compared with nonparticipating households (risk ratio [RR], 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81-0.96). Implementing emergency allotments in SNAP was associated with a decreased risk of food hardship among SNAP-participating households with Hispanic (RR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.72-1.02) and White (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76-0.94) children compared with nonparticipating households but not among households with Black children (RR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.87-1.23).<br />Conclusions and Relevance: In this ecologic cross-sectional study, implementing emergency allotments in SNAP was associated with a decreased risk of food hardship among households with children. Efforts are needed to ensure that all populations benefit from economic policies.
- Subjects :
- Humans
Cross-Sectional Studies
Child
United States
Female
Male
Child, Preschool
Adolescent
Infant
Food Supply statistics & numerical data
SARS-CoV-2
Income statistics & numerical data
Food Assistance statistics & numerical data
COVID-19 prevention & control
COVID-19 epidemiology
Family Characteristics
Poverty statistics & numerical data
Food Insecurity
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2574-3805
- Volume :
- 7
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- JAMA network open
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 39150708
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.28680