Abstract
The purpose of this project was to determine whether consistent food assistance program participation or changes in participation over time mediated or moderated the effect of federal nutrition education through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) on food security and determine the associations of SNAP-Ed program delivery characteristics with change in food security. This secondary analysis used data from a randomized controlled trial from September 2013 through April 2015. SNAP-Ed-eligible participants (n = 328; ≥18 years) in households with children were recruited from 39 counties in Indiana, USA. The dependent variable was one year change in household food security score measured using the United States Household Food Security Survey Module. Assessment of mediation used Barron-Kenny analysis and moderation used interactions of food assistance program use and changes over time with treatment group in general linear regression modeling. Program delivery characteristics were investigated using mixed linear regression modeling. Results showed that neither consistent participation nor changes in food assistance program participation over time mediated nor moderated the effect of SNAP-Ed on food security and neither were SNAP-Ed program delivery characteristics associated with change in food security over the one year study period. SNAP-Ed directly improved food security among SNAP-Ed-eligible Indiana households with children regardless of food assistance program participation and changes over time or varying program delivery characteristics.
Highlights
Members of low-income households face a high burden of food insecurity, poor nutrition, and undesirable health outcomes [1,2,3,4,5]
Eligible study participants included Indiana adult residents who had one or more children living in the household, had not received a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) lesson in the past one year, were able to speak, read, and write in English, and were willing to wait one year to receive nutrition education lessons
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-Ed participants among households with children using Chi-Square analysis
Summary
Members of low-income households face a high burden of food insecurity, poor nutrition, and undesirable health outcomes [1,2,3,4,5]. 73% of households interested in receiving SNAP-Ed report participating in at least one of three other food assistance programs [9] directed to alleviate food insecurity in qualifying low-income households [10], including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and The. Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). SNAP and WIC provide financial and food resources to help individuals and families obtain foods to supplement their nutritional needs [11,12] while. Sometimes SNAP-Ed lessons are used to fulfill WIC education requirements
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