The Role of SNAP in Home Food Availability and Dietary Intake among WIC Participants Facing Unstable Housing.
Meg Bruening, Darya McClain, Michael Moramarco and 1 others
PMID 28084013WHAT IT FOUND
Among WIC families with unstable housing after a hurricane, children's calorie and nutrient intake did not differ by SNAP participation.
SNAP homes had more unhealthy foods, but home food availability alone did not explain child intake.
Key findings
01Children's energy and macro/micronutrient intake did not significantly differ between families participating in SNAP and families not participating in SNAP.
02SNAP-participating families reported significantly more unhealthy legumes, high-fat dairy, salty snacks, sugary snacks/desserts, added fats, and sides in the home.
03SNAP-participating children consumed more legumes, but there were no differences in child consumption of fruits, vegetables, sugary snacks/desserts, sugar-sweetened beverages, added fats, salty snacks, high-fat dairy, processed meat, or other meat.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with 54 families, and this was a secondary analysis of baseline data, so the study could not adjust well for other factors. The study compared families at one time point after Hurricane Ike, so it cannot show that SNAP caused differences in home food availability or child intake. Child diet was based on a single 24-hour recall reported by mothers, which can miss usual intake and be affected by recall or social desirability. The paper did not ask whether families were eligible for SNAP, so non-participants may include families who were not eligible. Duration of unstable housing was not measured, and the families came from one community affected by a hurricane, so results may not apply elsewhere. The paper describes the original overweight criterion inconsistently: one sentence says BMI at or above the 85th percentile, while eligibility says BMI greater than the 95th percentile.
Declared interests
The paper states that the original Jump Start for Health intervention study was funded by NIH. The supplied text does not provide a conflicts-of-interest statement for this secondary analysis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that SNAP causes less healthy diets. The study compared families at baseline after a hurricane, did not measure SNAP eligibility, and found no significant difference in children's energy or nutrient intake.