title: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation did not help low income Hispanic women in Texas meet the dietary guidelines.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Low-income Hispanic women are at greater risk for dietary deficiencies and obesity. We assessed the association between Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation and dietary intake among 661 Hispanic women aged 26-44 years living in Texas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data was collected using standard methods. Analysis of variance and logistic regression examined the influence of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on diet after adjusting for household characteristics, body mass index, and food security status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most women did not meet recommended dietary guidelines. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants consumed higher amounts of total sugars, sweets-desserts, and sugar-sweetened beverages than Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program nonparticipants. High sodium intakes and low dairy consumption were observed in both groups. Only 27% of low-income eligible women received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low-income Hispanic women participating in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program reported less healthful dietary patterns than nonparticipants. This may contribute to the increased obesity prevalence and related comorbidities observed in this population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program should play an important role in enhancing the overall dietary quality of low-income households. Policy initiatives such as limiting the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages and education to enable women to reduce consumption of high sodium processed foods deserve consideration as means to improve the dietary quality of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants. Effective measures are needed to increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation rates among Hispanics.
authors: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, 615 N Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. Electronic address: ahilmers@jhsph.edu.
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Hilmers
authors: Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030-2600, USA.
authors: Tzu-An
authors: TA
authors: Chen
authors: Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030-2600, USA.
authors: Jayna M
authors: JM
authors: Dave
authors: Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030-2600, USA.
authors: Deborah
authors: D
authors: Thompson
authors: Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030-2600, USA.
authors: Karen Weber
authors: KW
authors: Cullen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D063105:Food Assistance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics; D006078:Government Programs; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009753:Nutritive Value; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D011203:Poverty; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013781:Texas; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D013549:Sweetening Agents; D012965:Sodium Chloride
keywords: Diet; Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program; Hispanic women; SNAP participation