Is Individually-Targeted Food Assistance Shared among Family Members?

Jonathan V.  Woodward; David C.  Ribar

doi:10.4236/fns.2012.36101

Jonathan V. Woodward, David C. Ribar

Abstract: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the School Breakfast Program (SBP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) share a common goal of helping people with limited financial means obtain better diets than they could otherwise afford, but the programs differ in terms of the groups that they target and the types of assistance they provide. While the programs appear to increase food consumption among households generally and among their intended beneficiaries, we know much less about whether they help other people. This investigation uses 2002-2003 data from the second Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to examine the relationship between households’ participation in the SNAP, SBP, NLSP, and WIC and individual 10 - 17 year-old children’s consumption of particular food items. Our analyses indicate that WIC participation by others in the household is associated with a 22 percent increase in breakfast consumption of milk and a 16 percent increase in breakfast consumption of cereal for the children in our sample, while WIC is associated with a 13 percent decrease in toast consumption. Participation in school meals is also associated with increased consumption of some foods, particularly juice, fruit, and sweet snacks. Household SNAP participation is estimated to have positive associations with some foods but negative associations with others.

Keywords: Food Assistance; Children’s and Youth’s Food Consumption; Sharing

Cite this paper: J. Woodward and D. Ribar, "Is Individually-Targeted Food Assistance Shared among Family Members?," Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol. 3 No. 6, 2012, pp. 747-759. doi: 10.4236/fns.2012.36101.

References

[1] V. Oliveira, “The Food Assistance Landscape, FY 2009 Annual Report,” Economic Information Bulletin No. EIB-6-7, Economic Research Service, Washington, 2010.

[2] M. K. Fox, W. Hamilton and B.-H. Lin, “Effects of Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs on Nutrition and Health: Volume 3, Literature Review,” Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report no. 19-3, Economic Research Service, Washington, 2004.

[3] D. J. Besharov and P. Germanis, “Evaluating WIC,” Evaluation Review, Vol. 24, No. 2, 2000, pp. 123-190. doi:10.1177/0193841X0002400201

[4] V. Oliveira and R. Chandran, “Children’s Consumption of WIC-Approved Foods,” Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report No. 44, Economic Research Service, Washington, 2005.

[5] S. Long, “Do the School Nutrition Programs Supplement Household Food Expenditures?” Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 26, No. 4, 1991, pp. 654-678. doi:10.2307/145979

[6] M. VerPloeg, “Do Benefits of US Food Assistance Programs for Children Spillover to Older Children in the Same Household?” Journal of Family Economic Issues, Vol. 30, No. 4, 2009, pp. 412-427. doi:10.1007/s10834-009-9164-9

[7] V. Oliveira and C. Gundersen, “WIC and the Nutrient Intake of Children,” Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report No. 5, Economic Research Service, Washington, 2000.

[8] G. J. Arcia, L. A. Crouch and R. A. Kulka, “Impact of the WIC Program on Food Expenditures,” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 72, No. 1, 1990, pp. 218-226. doi:10.2307/1243161

[9] A. Ishdorj, H. H. Jensen and J. Tobias, “Intra-Household Allocation and Consumption of WIC-Approved Foods: A Bayesian Approach,” Advances in Econometrics, Vol. 23, 2008, pp. 157-182. doi:10.1016/S0731-9053(08)23005-7

[10] D. Rose, J.-P. Habicht and B. Devaney, “Household Participation in the Food Stamp and WIC Programs Increases the Nutrient Intakes of Preschool Children,” Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 128, No. 3, 1998, pp. 548-555.

[11] J. Bhattacharya, J. Currie and S. Haider, “Breakfast of Champions? The School Breakfast Program and the Nutrition of Children and Families,” Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2006, pp. 445-466.

[12] Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, “Breakfast in America, 2001-2002,” 2011. http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12355000/pdf/DBrief/1_Breakfast_2001_2002.pdf

[13] C. Newman, J. Todd and M. VerPloeg, “Children’s Participation in Multiple Food Assistance Programs: Changes from 1990 to 2008,” Social Service Review, forthcoming.