Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Dietary Behaviors: Role of Community Food Environment

BACKGROUND: The United States Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the country’s largest nutrition assistance program for low-income populations. While SNAP has been shown to reduce food insecurity, research on the diet quality of program participants is inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: This study examined if the community food environment is a potential moderator of the association between SNAP participation and eating behaviors. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study utilized participant data from a telephone survey of 2,211 households in four cities in New Jersey. Data were collected from two cross-sectional panels from 2009–10 and 2014. Food outlet data were purchased from commercial sources and classified as supermarkets, small grocery stores, convenience stores, or limited service restaurants. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Analysis is limited to 983 respondents (588 SNAP participants) with household incomes below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Eating behaviors assessed as frequency of consum ption of fruit, vegetables, salad, and sugar sweetened beverages (SSB). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS PERFORMED: Interaction and stratified analyses using gamma regression determined the differences in the association between SNAP participation and eating behaviors by the presence or absence of food outlets adjusted for covariates. RESULTS: SNAP participation was associated with a higher frequency of consuming SSB (p