The Impacts of SNAP Participation Benefit Level and Duration on Food Insecurity Among Low-Income Families with Children

Background and Purpose

Food insecurity has emerged as a major national public health issue. Substantial low-income households with children experience food insecure. SNAP plays an important role in helping these families cope during economic downturns. However, few studies examined the impacts of SNAP characteristics, namely benefit level and duration on food insecurity. Moreover, it is not yet known whether SNAP moderates the relationships between employment hardships (unemployment and underemployment) and food insecurity during recession. This study has two specific aims: (1) What are the effects of SNAP participation benefit level and duration on food insecurity? (2) Does SNAP participation moderate relationships between employment hardships and food insecurity during recession? If so, to what degree SNAP benefit level and duration buffer the effects of employment hardships on food insecurity?

Methods

The 2008 panel (wave 1 through wave 10) of the Survey of Income and Program Participation is used. Sample includes low-income householders who are at least 18 years old and have at least one related child living in the household at the baseline. SNAP benefit level (none, low, medium and high benefit amounts) was measured as the level of benefit amounts in a given month; SNAP duration was defined as the number of months received benefits and categorized into different groups. The study employs residualized change models to account for selection bias to examine Aim 1. Moreover, mixed models are be used to examine relationships between changes in SNAP participation and changes in food insecurity. To examine moderating effects of SNAP participation (Aim 2), interaction terms between employment hardships and SNAP participation benefit level and duration are entered into the main effects models and tested for statistical significance.

Results

The results indicate that SNAP participation reduces food insecurity. Preliminary results suggest that greater intensity (benefit level) and duration of SNAP participation are associated with more reduction in food insecurity over a period of four years. SNAP participation buffers or reduces negative effects of employment hardships on food insecurity. Additionally, greater intensity (benefit level) and duration of SNAP have a stronger moderating effect on the association between employment hardships and food insecurity than lesser intensity and duration of SNAP participation.

Conclusion and Implications

This research pioneers the use of multiple measures of SNAP (participation, benefit level, and duration), employment hardships and food insecurity through the analysis of national data and methodological advantages, potentially yielding important scientific knowledge about the effects of various measures of SNAP on low-income families’ food insecurity. This study provides a more nuanced understanding of how different patterns of SNAP participation affect food insecurity in low-income families. The findings inform policy on the most effective level of benefits and duration of receipt, particularly among those who experienced employment hardships and food insecurity during economic downturns. Moreover, the study contributes unique findings about whether and to what degree SNAP benefit level and duration buffer the effects of employment hardships on food insecurity. Study results are poised to inform and help frame responsive food assistance policies targeting low-income families.