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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Katherine L. Cason, PhD, RD1, Ruby H. Cox, PhD, RD2, Janie Burney, PhD, RD3, and Kathleen Poole, PhD2. (1) Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 203B Borland Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, 814-865-9288, klc13@psu.edu, (2) Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech, 102 Wallace Annex, Blacksburg, VA 24061, (3) Agricultural Extension Service, The University of Tennessee, 119 Morgan Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996
The Food Stamp Program helps put food on the table for over 9 million households, involving 22 million individuals, each day. The Food Stamp Program was created to promote health and nutrition among low-income households by increasing their food-purchasing power. To assess effectiveness in achieving this objective, it is useful to determine the relationship between program participation and dietary outcomes. This study examined the effect of Food Stamps on the dietary intake of households in three Southern states, comparing dietary adequacy indicators of homemakers from Food Stamp households vs. non-Food Stamp households. The study included 6969 participants enrolled in EFNEP and 3552 enrolled in FSNEP during the1999 reporting year. Findings from this study suggest relatively few differences in intake of food groups and selected nutrients between Food Stamp and non-Food Stamp households. Food Stamp recipients enrolled in EFNEP typically consumed more meat and fat, but less milk than non-Food Stamp recipients. Food Stamp recipients enrolled in FSNEP typically consumed more fat and energy than non-Food Stamp recipients. One goal of USDA's Food and Nutrition Service is to help Food Stamp recipients bring their food choices and food preparation practices more in line with broadly accepted recommendations for healthful eating. This study indicates that the provision of food stamps alone, without nutrition education, will not achieve the goals for which the food stamp program was established. Without nutrition education, access to supplemental food through the Food Stamp Program may not promote healthier dietary intakes nor reduce disease risks.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Low-Income, Nutrition
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.