BACKGROUND As the largest nutrition safety net program in the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enhances food security by providing low-income households with benefits for food-at-home (FAH) spending. A large literature finds a positive effect of SNAP on FAH spending, but it is unclear whether this relationship varies with area-level prices. SNAP benefits do not explicitly account for price variation across the contiguous United States. OBJECTIVE Our objectives were to examine the SNAP/non-SNAP difference in FAH spending for households with varying levels of cash income and propensity for SNAP participation and to determine whether this difference varied with area-level prices. DESIGN/PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional data on 2,524 SNAP and non-SNAP households with cash income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level were obtained from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The outcome was FAH spending relative to the maximum SNAP benefit corresponding to household size. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED Households were grouped into quintiles based on estimated propensity of SNAP participation. Regression models included interactions between a SNAP participation indicator, a continuous price index for all goods and services, and propensity score quintile indicators. RESULTS According to some models, the SNAP/non-SNAP spending difference was positive, on average. Among households that tended to have lower cash income and higher propensity of SNAP participation, FAH spending relative to the maximum benefit was 29 to 30 percentage points higher for SNAP households compared to low-income non-SNAP households (P≤0.05). The spending difference was similar across areas with different price levels. CONCLUSIONS SNAP households spent more on FAH compared to low-income non-SNAP households. This association did not vary with area-level prices. Beyond food spending outcomes, future research could extend this work to understand SNAP's role in promoting food security and other outcomes, given geographic price variation.

中文翻译：

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鉴于地理价格变化，SNAP 和非 SNAP 家庭的家庭食品支出差异

背景 作为美国最大的营养安全网计划，补充营养援助计划 (SNAP) 通过为低收入家庭提供家庭食物 (FAH) 支出福利来增强粮食安全。大量文献发现 SNAP 对 FAH 支出有积极影响，但尚不清楚这种关系是否随地区价格而变化。SNAP 福利没有明确说明美国本土的价格变化。目标 我们的目标是检查现金收入水平和 SNAP 参与倾向不同的家庭在 FAH 支出中的 SNAP/非 SNAP 差异，并确定这种差异是否随地区价格而变化。设计/参与者 2 的横截面数据，524 个现金收入等于或低于联邦贫困线 185% 的 SNAP 和非 SNAP 家庭是从全国家庭食品采购调查中获得的。主要结果测量结果是 FAH 支出相对于与家庭规模对应的最大 SNAP 收益。执行的统计分析 根据估计的 SNAP 参与倾向，将家庭分为五分之一。回归模型包括 SNAP 参与指标、所有商品和服务的连续价格指数以及倾向得分五分位数指标之间的相互作用。结果 根据某些模型，SNAP/非 SNAP 支出差异平均为正。在现金收入较低且参与 SNAP 倾向较高的家庭中，与低收入非 SNAP 家庭相比，SNAP 家庭的 FAH 支出相对于最大收益高出 29 至 30 个百分点（P≤0.05）。不同价格水平的地区的支出差异相似。结论与低收入非 SNAP 家庭相比，SNAP 家庭在 FAH 上的支出更多。这种关联不随地区价格而变化。除了食品支出结果之外，未来的研究可以扩展这项工作，以了解 SNAP 在促进粮食安全和其他结果方面的作用，因为地理价格变化。这种关联不随地区价格而变化。除了食品支出结果之外，未来的研究可以扩展这项工作，以了解 SNAP 在促进粮食安全和其他结果方面的作用，因为地理价格变化。这种关联不随地区价格而变化。除了食品支出结果之外，未来的研究可以扩展这项工作，以了解 SNAP 在促进粮食安全和其他结果方面的作用，因为地理价格变化。