The Effect of Pandemic Food Assistance Policies on U.S. Child Food Security and Health

Start Date: June 2023

ID #: 283-5109

Principal Investigator: Laura Samuel, PhD, MSN, RN

Co-Principal Investigator: Lucine Francis, PhD

Organization: Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Funding Round: ARPA2

See more related research

Share

This study seeks to identify effective food assistance policies based on evidence from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program with regard to child health and health equity. The study will examine whether, how, and for whom, the P-EBT and SNAP emergency allotments impacted food insecurity and health outcomes for children. Specifically, this study will estimate the effects of changes to SNAP emergency allotments and P-EBT benefits on household food insecurity, child health, and health-related economic hardship, as well as evaluate whether the estimated effects of SNAP and P-EBT program changes differ based on race or ethnicity.

Age Groups: Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)

Keywords: COVID-19, Equity and disparities, Food insecurity, Poverty & economic well-being, School meal programs, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Resource Type: Grant Summary

State: National

Focus Area: Nutrition Policy & Programs

Related Research

July 2026

Forecasting WIC Funding Needs: Supporting Families, Strengthening Access

In partnership with Westat and with support from Healthy Eating Research, the National WIC Association (NWA) developed a new forecasting model to project funding needs of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for Fiscal Year 2027. Report This report describes the model development, including methodology, as well as analysis conducted More

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 More

May 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 More