- Judith Bartfeld, Craig Gundersen, Timothy Smeeding, and James Ziliak
- November 2015
- PB8
- Link to PB8-SNAPFoodSecurityHealth (PDF)
By providing additional resources for food, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, previously called the Food Stamp Program) is expected to make people better off—in the immediate terms by reducing food insecurity, and in the longer term by enhancing nutrition and health. This brief provides an overview of research on how SNAP is linked to food security, nutrition, health, and obesity. Further, it discusses some of the pervasive challenges in linking policies such as SNAP to complex outcomes such as these, while highlighting some of the critical questions still remaining. The discussion draws on a comprehensive new book, SNAP Matters: How Food Stamps Affect Health and Well-Being, edited by the authors of this brief.
Categories
Economic Support, Food & Nutrition, Food Assistance, Food Insecurity, Health, Means-Tested Programs, Obesity