This study examined beverage intake among families with low income by household participation in federal food assistance programs. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in fall/winter 2020 via an online survey. Participants were mothers of young children insured by Medicaid at the time of the child’s birth (N = 493). 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. After accounting for sociodemographic differences between groups, mothers from households participating in WIC and SNAP consumed sugar-sweetened beverages and bottled water more frequently than mothers from households in neither program. Children from households participating in WIC and SNAP also consumed soda 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. 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.
Published: July 2023
Journal: J Nutr Educ Behav
Authors: Firoozi R, Weeks HM, Ludwig-Borcyz E, Clayson M, Zawistowski M, Needham B, Bauer KW
Resource Type: Journal Article
State: National
Focus Area: Nutrition Policy & Programs
Age Groups: Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Keywords: Sugar-sweetened beverages, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Water, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Related Research
May 2026
SNAP participation and the healthfulness of food purchased by households with children during the pandemic
Changes in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic included emergency benefit allotments and operation waivers. Using five expenditure-based measures of the nutritional quality of food purchases, we tested whether changes in SNAP during the first year of the pandemic were associated with better nutritional quality of food purchases MoreMay 2026
A Pediatric Perspective on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines
Clear, evidence-based guidance on what foods and beverages children and adolescents should consume—and in what amounts—is foundational for promoting healthy growth and preventing diet-related chronic disease across the life course. Yet many children and adolescents in the US continue to have diets of poor nutritional quality. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), issued every 5 MoreMay 2026