title: A difference-in-differences approach to estimate the effect of income-supplementation on food insecurity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) is a 2006 Canadian federal policy of income supplementation that provides parents with $100 monthly in Canadian dollars for each child aged <6years. The study main objective was to estimate the causal effect of UCCB on self-reported food insecurity overall and in vulnerable subgroups.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Canadian Community Health Survey (2001-2009) was used to conduct a difference-in-differences (DID) regression analysis for the effect of the UCCB on self-reported food insecurity. Respondents were ages ≥12 in families with at least one child aged <6years (UCCB-eligible, n=22,737) or a child aged 6-11 but no child <6years (control group, n=17,664).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over the study period 16.3% of respondents experienced some level of food insecurity. Overall, UCCB reduced the proportion of respondents reporting food insecurity by 2.4% (95% CI: -4.0%, -0.9%). There was a significantly stronger impact on food insecurity for respondents from households with yearly income below the population median (-4.3%, 95% CI: -7.2%, -1.4%) and respondents from single parent families (-5.4%, 95% CI: -10.3%, -0.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that a relatively small monthly income supplementation results in a significant reduction in food insecurity at the population level, with larger effects in vulnerable groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, 1020 Pine Ave West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A2, Canada. Electronic address: RIonescu-Ittu@analysisgroup.com.
authors.forename: Raluca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ionescu-Ittu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), 185 Berry Street West, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. Electronic address: mglymour@psg.ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: M Maria
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Glymour
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, 1020 Pine Ave West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A2, Canada. Electronic address: jay.kaufman@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Jay S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kaufman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D035061:Control Groups; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005380:Financing, Government; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Causal effects; Difference-in-differences; Food insecurity; Income supplementation policy