Elk Grove Village, IL—(ENEWSPF)–March 3, 2014. The goal of the largest federal nutrition assistance program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is to reduce hunger and improve the lives of low-income individuals and families, particularly disadvantaged families with children.
In a study in the April 2014 Pediatrics, “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation and Child Food Security,” published online March 3, researchers surveyed 3,000 households with children participating in SNAP and did a cross-sectional analysis comparing households who recently joined the program and households who have participated for 6 months. They also conducted a longitudinal survey comparing new SNAP households and the same households 6 months later. They found that children in households who have participated in SNAP for 6 months experienced substantial improvements in food security and were approximately 36 percent less likely to be food insecure in both samples. In the cross-sectional analysis only, SNAP was associated with a decrease in the odds of children experiencing severe food insecurity (referred to as very low food security).
Authors conclude that SNAP reduces child food insecurity, and plays a vital role in improving the health and well-being of low-income children through providing benefits to be spent on food.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 62,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.
Source: www.aap.org
