title: The Relationship Between Obesity and Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Is Mental Health a Mediator?
abstract: Focusing on adults from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey, we investigated whether mental health was a mediator in the association between obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2) and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The analyses included 1776 SNAP participants and eligible nonparticipants. SNAP participants had higher odds of obesity (odds ratio [OR] =2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52-4.36) and of reporting a mental health problem (OR = 3.8; 95% CI, 1.68-8.44) than eligible nonparticipants; however, mental health was not a mediator in the association between SNAP participation and obesity. We recommend changes in SNAP to promote healthier food habits among participants and reduce the stress associated with participation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: M Pia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Chaparro
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Gail G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA ; Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Anne R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Pebley
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: May
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: Los Angeles County; SNAP; mental health; obesity