Vinitchagoon Thanit, Zhang Fang Fang, Fauth Rebecca C, Hennessy Erin, Maafs Ana G, Browning Emma M, Economos Christina D
Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.
J Prim Care Community Health. 2025 Jan-Dec;16:21501319251317334. doi: 10.1177/21501319251317334.
INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, few studies have examined how participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) impacts diet quality in families with young children. This study aims to explore the association between SNAP and/or WIC participation and diet quality in mother-child dyads in Greater Boston, MA.
A mixed-method approach involving cross-sectional surveys and in-depth interviews were utilized. Participants included 69 mother-child dyads for quantitative and 18 mothers for qualitative data collection. Analysis of covariance using generalized linear models was employed to compare differences in Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores based on SNAP and/or WIC participation, and thematic analysis was used for coding themes.
Mothers who participated in SNAP and/or WIC were more from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and education, no significant differences in diet quality were found for both mothers and their children. However, qualitative results showed that mothers prioritized their children's nutrition, used benefits to buy fruits and vegetables, and experienced stress that impacted their own diet quality.
Since the pandemic, SNAP and WIC appeared to support families experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage (e.g., lower income and educational attainment) to improve diet quality, particularly through increased access to fruits and vegetables. However, these programs have not fully eliminated persistent disparities in diet quality, which seems to continue even the pandemic's immediate effects have subsided.
引言/目标：自新冠疫情以来，很少有研究探讨参与补充营养援助计划（SNAP）和/或妇女、婴儿和儿童特别补充营养计划（WIC）如何影响有幼儿家庭的饮食质量。本研究旨在探讨马萨诸塞州大波士顿地区母婴二元组中SNAP和/或WIC参与情况与饮食质量之间的关联。
采用了一种混合方法，包括横断面调查和深入访谈。参与者包括用于定量数据收集的69对母婴二元组和用于定性数据收集的18位母亲。使用广义线性模型进行协方差分析，以比较基于SNAP和/或WIC参与情况的2015年健康饮食指数（HEI-2015）得分差异，并使用主题分析对主题进行编码。
参与SNAP和/或WIC的母亲更多来自社会经济背景较低的群体。在调整年龄、种族/族裔和教育程度后，未发现母亲及其子女在饮食质量上有显著差异。然而，定性结果表明，母亲们优先考虑孩子的营养，利用福利购买水果和蔬菜，并经历了影响自身饮食质量的压力。
自疫情以来，SNAP和WIC似乎支持了经历社会经济劣势（如低收入和低教育程度）的家庭改善饮食质量，特别是通过增加水果和蔬菜的获取。然而，这些计划尚未完全消除饮食质量方面持续存在的差异，即使疫情的直接影响消退后，这种差异似乎仍在继续。
