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The effects of short‐term participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on food security and dietary intake of low‐income Massachusetts adults: a pilot study

In a pilot study of 107 low‐income Massachusetts adults, we examined if the initiation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits improved food security and dietary behaviors over a three‐month period. New SNAP participants were also asked their opinions on strategies to improve the diets of program participants. On a scale of 0 (high food security) to 10 points (very low food security), SNAP participation was associated with a 0.5‐point (95% CI −1.4, 0.4), nonsignificant improvement in food security, after adjustment for age, sex, marital status, weight and health status. Compared to nonparticipants, SNAP participants had a significant increase in refined grains (1.1 servings/day, 95% CI 0.2, 2.0), and a marginal increase in sweets and bakery desserts (0.4 serving/day, 95% CI −0.4, 1.0) from baseline to follow‐up. No associations were observed with other food groups, total energy, macronutrients, or overall dietary quality. Most SNAP participants agreed that providing incentives to purchase fruits and vegetables (86%), providing more cooking classes or nutrition education (86%) and restricting the purchase of sugar‐sweetened beverages with SNAP benefits (59%) would help SNAP participants to eat better. Although short‐term SNAP participation may marginally improve food security, there were few improvements in dietary intake among this group of low‐income Massachusetts adults.