Food Systems Program, University of Vermont, 109 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Vermont, 109 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.
Nutr J. 2024 Jul 15;23(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s12937-024-00963-z.
Federal nutrition assistance programs serve as safety nets for many American households, and participation has been linked to increased food security and, in some instances, improved diet quality and mental health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic brought new and increased economic, social, and psychological challenges, necessitating inquiry into how nutrition assistance programs are functioning and associated with public health outcomes.
Using data from a representative statewide survey administered in Vermont (n = 600) between July and September 2020, we examined participant experiences with major federal nutrition assistance programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and school meal programs. We explored quantitative and qualitative responses regarding perceptions of program utility, and used nearest neighbors matching analyses in combination with bivariate statistical tests to assess associations between program participation and food insecurity, perceived stress, and fruit and vegetable intake as indicators of dietary quality.
One in four respondents (27.3%) used at least one federal nutrition assistance program. As compared to non-participants, we found higher rates of food insecurity among program participants (57.5% vs. 18.1%; p < 0.001), an association that persisted even when we compared similar households using matching techniques (p ≤ 0.001). From matched analyses, we found that, compared to low-income non-participants, low-income program participants were less likely to meet fruit intake recommendations (p = 0.048) and that low-income SNAP and WIC participants were less likely to meet vegetable intake recommendations (p = 0.035). We also found lower rates of perceived stress among low-income school meal participant households compared to low-income non-participants (p = 0.039). Despite these mixed outcomes, participants broadly valued federal nutrition assistance programs, characterizing them as helpful or easy to use.
We found that federal nutrition assistance programs as a group were not sufficient to address food insecurity and stress or increase fruit and vegetable intake in the state of Vermont during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, participants perceived benefits from participation in these programs. Optimizing the utility of nutrition assistance programs depends on critical examination of their functioning under conditions of great stress.
联邦营养援助计划是许多美国家庭的安全网，参与这些计划与粮食安全的提高有关，在某些情况下还与饮食质量和心理健康结果的改善有关。新冠疫情带来了新的和增加的经济、社会和心理挑战，需要调查营养援助计划的运作情况以及与公共卫生结果的关系。
我们使用了 2020 年 7 月至 9 月期间在佛蒙特州进行的一项代表性全州调查的数据（n=600），研究了参与者在主要联邦营养援助计划中的体验：补充营养援助计划（SNAP）、妇女、婴儿和儿童特别补充营养计划（WIC）和学校餐计划。我们探讨了对计划效用的定量和定性反应，并使用最近邻居匹配分析结合双变量统计检验，评估了计划参与与粮食不安全、感知压力以及水果和蔬菜摄入量（饮食质量的指标）之间的关联。
四分之一的受访者（27.3%）至少使用了一种联邦营养援助计划。与非参与者相比，我们发现计划参与者的粮食不安全率更高（57.5%比 18.1%；p<0.001），即使我们使用匹配技术比较类似的家庭，这种关联仍然存在（p≤0.001）。从匹配分析中，我们发现与低收入非参与者相比，低收入计划参与者不太可能满足水果摄入量建议（p=0.048），低收入 SNAP 和 WIC 参与者不太可能满足蔬菜摄入量建议（p=0.035）。我们还发现，与低收入非参与者相比，低收入学校餐计划参与者家庭的感知压力较低（p=0.039）。尽管存在这些混合结果，但参与者普遍重视联邦营养援助计划，认为它们具有帮助或易于使用。
我们发现，在新冠疫情早期的佛蒙特州，联邦营养援助计划作为一个整体，不足以解决粮食不安全和压力问题，也不能增加水果和蔬菜的摄入量。尽管如此，参与者还是从参与这些计划中受益。优化营养援助计划的效用取决于对这些计划在巨大压力条件下运作情况的严格审查。
