Effects particularly strong in Hispanic-American and large households, study indicates
The 15% expansion of food stamp payments under the supplemental nutrition assistance program, or SNAP for short, during the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced the odds of needy children going hungry, especially in Hispanic-American and large households, finds research to be published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
The findings are particularly relevant, given the projected 9-10% benefit reductions ($15/household/month) for typical families by 2034 under the terms of the 2025 Reconciliation Bill enacted in July this year, say the study authors.
The current Trump Administration is also threatening to stop or reduce funding for the scheme during the government shutdown.
The COVID-19 pandemic reversed a decade of progress in reducing the number of children in the US unable to have enough to eat to support their physical and mental development -formally known as child food insufficiency-they explain. The prevalence of households without enough to eat had fallen from just under 15% in 2011 to just over 11% by 2018.
In response, Congress implemented a universal 15% increase in SNAP benefits between January 2021 and September 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, to try and reverse rising child food hardship.
To evaluate the impact of this temporary expansion, the researchers drew on weekly US Census Bureau Household Pulse survey data, to analyse changes before (September to December 2020) and during the expansion period (April to September 2021) for 28,737 households, 9,776 of which received food stamps and 18,961 of which, although eligible by income, weren't beneficiaries of the scheme.
The survey asked respondents in households with children how often their children didn't have enough to eat over the previous 7 days, because it was unaffordable.
After accounting for demographic and economic features in both groups, analysis of the survey data showed that the scheme's expansion was associated with 20% lower odds of child food insufficiency among SNAP participants than among eligible non-participants.
The impact was especially noticeable among Hispanic-American households where the odds of child food insufficiency were 39% lower, and in households of six or more where the odds were 33% lower.
This is an observational study, so no definitive conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. And the study authors acknowledge various limitations to the findings. These include reliance on self-reported data; the cross-sectional design which precluded the ability to track individuals over time; and the relatively low survey response rates.
But they nevertheless conclude: "These findings support a universal food benefit expansion improving child health needs during a national health and economic crisis."
