Few changes in food security and dietary intake from short-term participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program among low-income Massachusetts adults.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether short-term participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) affects food security and dietary quality among low-income adults recruited from a Massachusetts-wide emergency food hotline.


METHODS
A 3-month, longitudinal study was conducted among 107 adults recruited at the time of SNAP application assistance. Outcomes included household food security (10-item US Department of Agriculture Food Security Survey Module), dietary intake (eg, grains, fruit) and diet quality (modified Alternate Healthy Eating Index). Data were analyzed using paired t tests and multivariable linear regression.


RESULTS
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation was not associated with improved household food security over 3 months (P = .25). Compared with non-participants, SNAP participants increased refined grain intake by 1.1 serving/d (P = .02), from baseline to follow-up. No associations were observed with other foods, nutrients, or dietary quality.


CONCLUSIONS
Policies that simultaneously improve household food security and dietary quality should be implemented to support the health of low-income Americans participating in this crucial program.
Center for Health and Community, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Electronic address: LeungC@chc.ucsf.edu.
Cindy W
CW
Leung
Project Bread-The Walk for Hunger, East Boston, MA.
Sarah
S
Cluggish
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI.
Eduardo
E
Villamor
Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.
Paul J
PJ
Catalano
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Walter C
WC
Willett
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Eric B
EB
Rimm
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004032:Diet / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D063105:Food Assistance / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Alternate Healthy Eating Index; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; diet quality; food security; food stamps