Diet quality among adults in SNAP food assistance program

Bottom Line: Participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) showed less improvement over time in an indicator of a healthful diet than both income-eligible individuals who didn't participate in SNAP and higher-income individuals, although it is possible dietary trends among SNAP recipients may have been even worse if they didn't participate in the program.

Why The Research Is Interesting: SNAP served 42.1 million people in fiscal year 2017 and the federal food assistance program has an annual budget of $70 billion. An unhealthful diet contributes to chronic diseases.

Who and When: Nationally representative study of 38,696 adults (age 20 or older): 6,162 SNAP participants, 6,692 income-eligible but nonparticipants in SNAP and 25,842 higher-income individuals from eight cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 1999-2014; diet quality assessed by SNAP participation status

What (Study Measures and Outcomes): Average diet scores and proportion of U.S adults meeting poor, intermediate or ideal diet scores based on American Heart Association diet goals, including eight components (fruits and vegetables; whole grains; fish and shellfish; sugar-sweetened beverages; sodium; nuts, seeds and legumes; processed meats; and saturated fat)

How (Study Design): This was a survey study.

Authors: Fang Fang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston, and coauthors

Results: SNAP participants had less improvement in diet scores than income-eligible nonparticipants in SNAP and higher-income individuals. Disparities persisted or worsened for SNAP participants for most dietary components compared with income-eligible nonparticipants in SNAP and higher-income individuals.

 Study Limitations: Dietary intake was self-reported and subject to error.

More information:
jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman … etworkopen.2018.0237

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