Brief Childhood Food Insecurity: The Mitigating Role of SNAP
Tracy Vericker, Gregory B. Mills
Display Date
File
File
Download Report
(279.12 KB)

The United States is among the world's wealthiest countries, yet a substantial number of children live in households where at least one child is food insecure. Research has demonstrated adverse effects of food insecurity on children. Considerable federal resources via SNAP are targeted toward protecting low-income families from food insecurity. Using secondary data and nonexperimental methods, this study finds that SNAP participation has an ameliorative effect on food insecurity among children. This study also finds factors such as parental depressive symptoms, poor parental health, and low social support are associated with an increased risk of food insecurity among children.
Research Areas Social safety net
Tags Welfare and safety net programs Hunger and food assistance Food insecurity and hunger Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Policy Centers Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population