title: Caloric beverage intake among adult supplemental nutrition assistance program participants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We compared sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB), alcohol, and other caloric beverage (juice and milk) consumption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants with that of low-income nonparticipants.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used 1 day of dietary intake data from the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 4594 adults aged 20 years and older with household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty line. We used bivariate and multivariate methods to compare the probability of consuming and the amount of calories consumed for each beverage type across 3 groups: current SNAP participants, former participants, and nonparticipants. We used instrumental variable methods to control for unobservable differences in participant groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After controlling for observable characteristics, SNAP participants were no more likely to consume SSBs than were nonparticipants. Instrumental variable estimates showed that current participants consumed fewer calories from SSBs than did similar nonparticipants. We found no differences in alcoholic beverage consumption, which cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SNAP participants are not unique in their consumption of SSBs or alcoholic beverages. Purchase restrictions may have little effect on SSB consumption.
authors.affiliation: Jessica E. Todd and Michele Ver Ploeg are with the Food Economics Division, Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Jessica E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ver Ploeg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000818:Animals; D001628:Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D063105:Food Assistance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008892:Milk; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011203:Poverty; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D013549:Sweetening Agents