Federal Food Assistance Program Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Participant Perspectives and Reasons for Discontinuing
This study aims to describe reasons for discontinuing participation and experiences participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data fr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/21/4524 |
| _version_ | 1797466971398209536 |
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| author | Emily M. Melnick Montserrat Ganderats-Fuentes Punam Ohri-Vachaspati |
| author_facet | Emily M. Melnick Montserrat Ganderats-Fuentes Punam Ohri-Vachaspati |
| author_sort | Emily M. Melnick |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study aims to describe reasons for discontinuing participation and experiences participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional online survey distributed to a national sample, restricted to (1) households that discontinued participating in SNAP (n = 146) or WIC (n = 149) during the pandemic and (2) households that participated in SNAP (n = 501) or WIC (n = 141) during spring 2021—approximately one year into the pandemic. We conducted thematic analyses of open-ended survey questions and descriptive statistics for Likert-scale items. Themes raised by respondents who discontinued participating in SNAP or WIC included difficulty recertifying and virus exposure concerns. Former WIC participants reported the program was not worth the effort and former SNAP participants reported failing to requalify. Respondents participating in WIC or SNAP during the pandemic mentioned transportation barriers and insufficient benefit value. WIC participants had trouble redeeming benefits in stores and SNAP participants desired improved online grocery purchasing experiences. These results suggest that enhancements to WIC and SNAP, such as expanded online purchasing options, program flexibilities, and benefit increases, can improve program participation to ensure access to critical nutrition supports, especially during emergencies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:46:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e1c68d4f4c144b94bc484f7e28fa6857 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:46:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-e1c68d4f4c144b94bc484f7e28fa68572023-11-24T06:12:53ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-10-011421452410.3390/nu14214524Federal Food Assistance Program Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Participant Perspectives and Reasons for DiscontinuingEmily M. Melnick0Montserrat Ganderats-Fuentes1Punam Ohri-Vachaspati2College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USACollege of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USACollege of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USAThis study aims to describe reasons for discontinuing participation and experiences participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional online survey distributed to a national sample, restricted to (1) households that discontinued participating in SNAP (n = 146) or WIC (n = 149) during the pandemic and (2) households that participated in SNAP (n = 501) or WIC (n = 141) during spring 2021—approximately one year into the pandemic. We conducted thematic analyses of open-ended survey questions and descriptive statistics for Likert-scale items. Themes raised by respondents who discontinued participating in SNAP or WIC included difficulty recertifying and virus exposure concerns. Former WIC participants reported the program was not worth the effort and former SNAP participants reported failing to requalify. Respondents participating in WIC or SNAP during the pandemic mentioned transportation barriers and insufficient benefit value. WIC participants had trouble redeeming benefits in stores and SNAP participants desired improved online grocery purchasing experiences. These results suggest that enhancements to WIC and SNAP, such as expanded online purchasing options, program flexibilities, and benefit increases, can improve program participation to ensure access to critical nutrition supports, especially during emergencies.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/21/4524SNAPWICCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Emily M. Melnick Montserrat Ganderats-Fuentes Punam Ohri-Vachaspati Federal Food Assistance Program Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Participant Perspectives and Reasons for Discontinuing Nutrients SNAP WIC COVID-19 |
| title | Federal Food Assistance Program Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Participant Perspectives and Reasons for Discontinuing |
| title_full | Federal Food Assistance Program Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Participant Perspectives and Reasons for Discontinuing |
| title_fullStr | Federal Food Assistance Program Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Participant Perspectives and Reasons for Discontinuing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Federal Food Assistance Program Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Participant Perspectives and Reasons for Discontinuing |
| title_short | Federal Food Assistance Program Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Participant Perspectives and Reasons for Discontinuing |
| title_sort | federal food assistance program participation during the covid 19 pandemic participant perspectives and reasons for discontinuing |
| topic | SNAP WIC COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/21/4524 |
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