Briefing Rooms

Food Assistance and Nutrition Program Outcomes

Overview

Under the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP), ERS conducts research on the outcomes of the Nation's domestic food assistance and nutrition programs, including the Food Stamp Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the child nutrition programs. These programs aim to reduce food insecurity, provide access to nutritious diets, and supply indirect economic support to needy families. ERS research on program outcomes (that is, the effects of the programs on participants) provides a measure of how well the programs are meetings these goals. Mommy and baby

This research can be divided into four main categories:

Features

Food Assistance and Obesity: Measuring the Link—ERS hosted a workshop in July 2007 for researchers to discuss the merits of different data sets and methodologies in food assistance and obesity research. Discussion goals included sharing recent findings from ongoing and completed studies, increasing awareness of common empirical challenges and how to address them in obesity and food assistance studies, identifying research gaps, and identifying variables to add to survey instruments. For an agenda of the workshop with presentation titles, contact Katherine Ralston.

Issues in Food Assistance-Effects of WIC Participation on Children's Food Consumption—This study compared consumption patterns of WIC children with those of three different comparison groups: eligible nonparticipating children living in non-WIC households, eligible nonparticipating children living in WIC households, and children living in households with income too high to be eligible for WIC. The study provides strong evidence that participation in the WIC program increases consumption of at least some types of WIC-approved foods.

Effects of Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs on Nutrition and Health: Volume 4, Executive Summary of the Literature Review, December 2004—This report summarizes a comprehensive review and synthesis of published research on the impact of USDA's domestic food assistance and nutrition programs on participants' nutrition and health outcomes. The outcome measures reviewed include food expenditures, household nutrient availability, dietary intake, other measures of nutrition status, food security, birth outcomes, breastfeeding behaviors, immunization rates, use and cost of health care services, and selected nonhealth outcomes, such as academic achievement and school performance (children) and social isolation (elderly). The report is one of four volumes produced by a larger study that includes Research Design (Volume 1), Data Sources (Volume 2), and Literature Review (Volume 3).

Recommended Readings

Food Stamps and Obesity: Ironic Twist or Complex Puzzle? February 2006—This article examines the relationship between Food Stamp Program participation and body weight. In contrast to earlier years, recent data show that women who receive food stamps are no more likely to be overweight or obese than eligible nonparticipating women or those with low to moderate incomes. The relationship between program participation and weight is also examined by age, sex, race, and ethnicity.

Nutrient Adequacy of Children Participating in WIC, April 2006—USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides supplemental foods to participants, in most cases through vouchers for retail purchase of foods designated as approved by the program. WIC food packages were initially designed to include foods rich in nutrients that were lacking in the diets of low-income participants. This brief summarizes two recent ERS-sponsored studies that provide new assessments of nutrient intakes of WIC children, income-eligible children not participating in the program, and children ineligible for the program.

The USDA Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program Evaluation, November 2004—The Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program for the 2002-03 school year provided fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables free to children in 107 elementary and secondary schools—100 schools in 4 States (25 each in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio) and 7 schools in the Zuni Indian Tribal Organization in New Mexico. The pilot was popular among most students, parents, school teachers, principals, pilot managers, foodservice staff, and State representatives. Schools reported that 80 percent of students were very interested in the pilot and 18 percent were somewhat interested; 71 percent of the schools believed that students’ interest had increased during the pilot period.

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Recommended Data Products

FANRP Project Database—Provides details on FANRP research projects, both completed and ongoing, including the project's objective, funding level, researchers, and expected completion date.

National Data Useful in Food Assistance and Nutrition Research—Brief descriptions of National surveys and data sets with links to their sources. The following three surveys are particularly useful for analyzing program outcomes:

Current Population Survey (CPS) Food Security Supplement data—Annual data on food expenditures, food security, and use of food assistance programs and other strategies for coping with or ameliorating food deprivation.
Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD), Food Security Status file, data, and technical documentation—The SPD was designed specifically to monitor and assess outcomes of welfare program changes begun in 1996. It includes questions on a broad array of topics including income, employment, use of food assistance and nutrition programs, and receipt of cash welfare. ERS prepared a food security status file to facilitate analysis of food security in households interviewed in the SPD.
The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data—The PSID is an ongoing longitudinal survey, begun in 1968, of a representative sample of U.S. individuals and their families. It contains data on participation in the Food Stamp Program, WIC, and Reduced Cost Meals, as well as information on food security and healthy eating habits.

Recent Research Developments

Methodology To Evaluate the Outcomes of the Team Nutrition Initiative in Schools, June 2006—This project develops a data collection methodology to evaluate outcomes of Team Nutrition, a voluntary USDA school-based initiative to promote nutrition education, healthy eating, and physical activity. The project uses information technology to collect high-quality data while decreasing respondent and investigator burden and lowering data collection and analysis costs. Seven data collection instruments were developed: five collect information from school personnel, one collects information from students, and the seventh is an on-site observation of the school environment. The pilot test and methodology could be instructive and adapted by other States.