Public versus Private Food Assistance: Barriers to Participation Differ by Age and Ethnicity

doi:10.1016/S1499-4046(06)60055-9

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior

Volume 35, Issue 5, September–October 2003, Pages 249-254

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1499-4046(06)60055-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To examine participation in the Food Stamp Program, food pantries, and soup kitchens and to identify reasons food-insecure households choose not to participate.

Design

Cross-sectional retrospective cohort study.

Setting

In respondents' homes.

Participants

330 randomly selected low-income households (below 185% of poverty).

Main Outcome Measures

Participation in any of 3 public or private food assistance programs and barriers to participation in each program.

Analysis

Chi-square tests of association between program participation and sociodemographic characteristics. Logistic regression tested for associations between program participation and ethnicity and between food security status and household composition while controlling for potential confounding factors.

Results

Controlling for socioeconomic status, Black households are less than half as likely to receive food stamps (odds ratio [OR] = 0.49; P < .02) as Hispanic households. Hispanic households are more likely than non-Hispanic households to say that they feel uncomfortable using food pantries (P < .01). Elderly households are less than half as likely to receive food stamps (OR = 0.44; P = .04) as nonelderly households and are more likely to say that they feel uncomfortable receiving food stamps (P = .05).

Conclusions and Implications

Low-income households' perceptions of which programs are socially acceptable differ by race and age. Outreach for food stamps and private food assistance should accommodate these differences so that food-insecure households can benefit from all available food assistance.

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Citation Excerpt :
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To identify school and site characteristics associated with greater reach by school-based free summer meals program sites.
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This qualitative study aimed to determine customers’ jobs to be done at a rural food pantry. In addition, it seeks to demonstrate the application of contemporary management theory to dietetics practice.
A case study approach was used in this study. Case study data collection procedures included six male and six female food pantry patrons in Montana completing in-depth, audio-recorded interviews and surveys. Each person’s interview and survey were constructed into individual case descriptions; the case descriptions were analyzed using uniform categories determined by researchers. To identify themes in the holistic case, word tables were created for each uniform category and assessed for key themes representing patrons’ experiences.
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The application of Jobs to Be Done Theory to rural food pantry customers demonstrates that demographic segmentation does not capture the social, emotional, and functional dimensions for this sample. Investigation of customer experiences, circumstances, and obstacles is important for improving dietetics services.
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2017, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
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A systematic literature search was conducted in the electronic databases PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and Psychology Behavioral Sciences Collection to identify cross-sectional, cohort, and intervention studies reporting baseline data conducted in high-income countries and published between 1980 and 2015, which reported the nutritional quality of food bags distributed by food pantries. Identified citations were screened in two stages and data were independently extracted by two authors using a predefined data sheet. The quality of included studies was evaluated using criteria of an adapted Ottawa Scale. The systematic review was reported in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement.
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A descriptive profile of state Child Care and Development Fund policies in states with high populations of low-income Hispanic children
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Citation Excerpt :
The administrative exclusion framework in the context of social support programs proposes that learning, psychological, and compliance costs individually and collectively can affect individuals’ experience in pursuit of program benefits (Moynihan, Herd, & Harvey, 2015). A lack of knowledge of a program and a lack of information about personal eligibility are examples of learning costs frequently cited by program-eligible individuals as reasons for nonparticipation in various social support programs (Alvira-Hammond & Gennetian, 2015; Meyer, Cancian & Nam, 2007), including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; Kaiser, 2008; Martin, Cook, Rogers, & Joseph, 2003), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF; Anderson, 2002), Medicaid (Stuber & Kronebusch, 2004), and the social support program of interest in this study, CCDF (Shlay, Weinraub, Harmon, & Tran, 2004). Providing eligible individuals with more information about eligibility has been shown to increase program participation (Daponte, Sanders, & Taylor, 1999; Wolfe & Scrivner, 2005).
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) serves dual goals of promoting low-income parents' employment, education, and training, and supporting parents’ use of high quality child care and education. While changes in CCDF policies have aimed to improve the accessibility and functionality of CCDF subsidies for all eligible low-income families, utilization among Hispanic families, who represent the highest growing proportion of income poor families, remains low. Our study explores the ways in which the state-level child care policy context may differentially affect utilization among Hispanic families and contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in program utilization. We use the child care accommodation model and administrative exclusion to offer an expanded conceptual framework. We consider how policies and administrative practices may interact with demographic and community characteristics common among low-income Hispanic families and impose differential learning, psychological, and compliance costs for accessing government assistance programs such as CCDF. Our analysis of the 13 states in which over 80% of the low-income Hispanic child population resides, identifies policies around eligibility, documentation requirements, receipt prioritization, and the online user experience that vary across states and may serve to either facilitate or constrain access to a child care subsidy. Implications for the design of child care policies to equitably support economic and child well-being for all eligible families are discussed.

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This research was generously supported by grants from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the Daphne Sebolt Culpepper Foundation.

This research was conducted through the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. The corresponding author is now affiliated with the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut.

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Research BriefPublic versus Private Food Assistance: Barriers to Participation Differ by Age and Ethnicity

Abstract

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Main Outcome Measures

Analysis

Results

Conclusions and Implications

J Nutr Educ

J Nutr

The Decline in Food Stamp Program Participation in the 1990s

Food Review, Welfare Reform and Food Assistance, Upfront

Food Stamp Program Participation and Costs

Sweet Charity? Emergency Food and the End of Entitlement

Hunger Basics: Domestic Hunger & Poverty Facts

Strong economy and welfare reforms contribute to drop in food stamp rolls

Seniors' Views of the Food Stamp Program and Ways to Improve Participation–Focus Group Findings in Washington State

Research Brief
Public versus Private Food Assistance: Barriers to Participation Differ by Age and Ethnicity