Federal Food Program Participation and Beverage Intake Among Families With Low Household Income

Abstract

Objective: Examine beverage intake among families with low income by household participation in federal food assistance programs.

Design: Cross-sectional study conducted in fall/winter 2020 via an online survey.

Participants: Mothers of young children insured by Medicaid at the time of the child's birth (N = 493).

Variables measured: Mothers reported household federal food assistance program participation, later categorized as Supplementation Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) only, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP) only, both WIC and SNAP, and neither. Mothers reported beverage intake for themselves and their children aged 1-4 years.

Analysis: Negative binomial and ordinal logistic regression.

Results: After accounting for sociodemographic differences between groups, mothers from households participating in WIC and SNAP consumed sugar-sweetened beverages (incidence rate ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-2.30; P = 0.007) and bottled water (odds ratio, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.05-2.96; P = 0.03) more frequently than mothers from households in neither program. Children from households participating in WIC and SNAP also consumed soda (incidence rate ratio, 6.07; 95% CI, 1.80-20.45; P = 0.004) more frequently than children in either program. Few differences in intake were observed for mothers or children participating in only WIC or SNAP vs both programs or neither program.

Conclusion and implications: Households participating in both WIC and SNAP may benefit from additional policy and programmatic interventions to limit sugar-sweetened beverage intake and reduce spending on bottled water.

Keywords: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; beverage intake; children; women.