Eating Patterns of SNAP Participants

Eating Patterns of SNAP Participants

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the fundamental safety net in the US, especially for lower-income individuals/households. The central goal of SNAP is to alleviate hunger and ensure that low-income families have the opportunity to attain a nutritionally adequate diet. One of the issues about SNAP participation is whether participating in this program contributes to high rates of overweight or obesity among low-income populations. Given this unsolved issue about the relationship between SNAP participation and obesity, there is a call for research on the mechanisms through which SNAP participation affects obesity. Understanding the mechanisms through which SNAP participation contributes to obesity is of obvious public health relevance for ongoing policy debates regarding the effect of SNAP participation on weight status. This study revisits the question of whether SNAP participation is associated with obesity by examining eating patterns of SNAP participants relative to eligible non-SNAP participants. To examine eating patterns of SNAP participants, this study uses data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) and Eating and Health Module (EHM). We find that SNAP participants tend to have irregular eating patterns relative to comparable non-SNAP participants. Specifically, SNAP participants spend less time on eating per day, and they tend to have fewer eating frequencies. SNAP participants are also less likely to eat at usual eating time. In addition, SNAP participants are less likely to have breakfast relative to comparable non-participants. These irregular eating patterns of SNAP participants are partly associated with higher BMI relative to non-participants, which is consistent with findings from previous studies suggesting that irregular eating patterns are positively associated with higher BMI.