(P20-071-24) Food and Nutrition Insecurity Among SNAP Participants in Two New England States

Objectives: To describe food and nutrition security among a large sample of SNAP participants in Rhode Island (RI) and Connecticut (CT).

Methods: Participants were enrolled as part of the What’s on Your Plate Study, the first state-wide nutrition incentive program evaluation in the U.S. SNAP participants in RI will receive a $0.50 credit for every $1.00 spent on fresh fruits and vegetables at qualified retailers. Using a difference-in-differences design, CT will serve as the control state. Baseline data were collected between May-September 2023. Participants completed a 45-minute online survey, which included questions on demographic information, barriers to accessing food, food insecurity (using the 6-item USDA module) and nutrition security (“in the last 30 days, I worried that the food I was able to eat would hurt my health and well-being”). Participants also completed a food frequency questionnaire via VioScreen. The analytic sample consisted of 619 individuals from RI and 628 from CT. Results describe the baseline prevalence of food and nutrition security and test whether these varied by quintiles of the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score. The statistical significance of differences at baseline was assessed using Pearson’s chi-squared test.

Results: Characteristics of respondents in RI and CT were similar. Mean age was 35.3 (SD=11.7), 92% were female, and 43% of respondents reported that they were Hispanic, followed by non-Hispanic White (31%), and non-Hispanic Black (16%). Lack of money was the primary barrier to accessing food (40%), followed by few affordable grocery stores (18%). The total average HEI score was 63.9 and 58% and 30% of the sample were food and nutrition insecure, respectively. Food insecurity varied significantly across quintiles of HEI (p=0.02), with fewer adults reporting food insecurity (49%) in the highest quintile vs. lowest HEI quintile (60%). Nutrition insecurity did not vary significantly across HEI quintiles (p=0.72).

Conclusions: The prevalence of food insecurity was higher than the national average, and higher food insecurity was associated with worse diet quality, underscoring the need for enhanced nutrition benefits among SNAP participants. Future work will evaluate the impact of the nutrition incentive program on food and nutrition security.

Funding Sources: Bloomberg Philanthropies