There is a sizable body of literature that examines the relationship between
participation in the FSP, the food purchasing behaviors of FSP households, and obesity. This work has examined several avenues through which FSP participation may be positively related to obesity. Amongst these are, the propensity to consume food from a dollar of Food Stamp Benefits (FSB), the type of food that is consumed in FSP households, and the food purchasing patterns of FSP households. Other work has directly estimated the effect of FSP participation on BMI and the probability of becoming obese. Recent work has analyzed the effect of FSB receipt on obesity in a dynamic framework.
Given that obesity is generally caused by an imbalance of calories consumed and those expended the types and quantities of foods consumed by FSP participating households have been examined in a variety of ways. From theory it is expected that providing low- income households with additional income will lead to increased consumption of all goods, including food. An increase in food consumption means higher caloric intake, which if not combined with an increase in caloric expenditure, may (over a long enough period of time) lead to overweight and obesity. Empirically it has been shown that the marginal propensity to consume food from a dollar of FSB is between $0.17 and $0.47, while the marginal propensity to consume food from a dollar of money income is between $0.03 and $0.17. This indicates that the marginal propensity to consume food from a dollar of FSB is between 2 and 10 percent larger than the marginal propensity to consume food from cash income
(Fraker, 1990). This finding indicates that FSP participation encourages participants to consume more food than they would if they were given an equivalent cash benefit.
Although obesity is mainly caused by an imbalance between calories consumed and those expended there is also evidence that over consumption of food in one period followed by under consumption of food in the next period can lead to increased body weight (Dietz 1995). 3 Wilde and Ranney (1998) found this consumption pattern to be prevalent amongst FSP participants. They examined the purchasing and consumption patterns of FSP
households over the course of a month and found that a large portion of FSP participants only buy food once per month. Moreover, they found that by the fourth week of each month adults report a large drop in food consumption, but that the food consumption of children remains fairly constant. This serves as an indication that parents exhibit protective behavior toward their children, which would lead parents to choose a healthy diet for their children, which in turn, would protect them from becoming overweight.
Beyond the quantity of food purchased and consumed by FSP households, is the nutritional content of the food being brought into the house. FSP households are, by definition, low-income households and as such are expected to stretch their food budget as far as possible (Darmon, Ferguson, and Briend 2002). Thus, they are likely to buy unhealthy, low-quality foods, which tend to cost less than healthy foods (such as fresh fruits and
vegetables). Wilde, McNamara, and Ranney (2000) studied the foods commonly consumed
3 Dietz focused on children but his results have been verified (for women), by a number of studies including Olson (1999) and Townsend et al (2001).
by FS households and found that they tend to consume a high calorie diet, rich in meat, sugars, and fats. Similarly, Fox and Cole (2004) used the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and found that FSP participants score lower on the HEI, than non-participants (regardless income), and are less likely to have a high-quality diet than non-participants. These studies indicate that FSP participants are consuming a diet that is likely to lead to weight gain, and may eventually lead to obesity.
Given the link between FSP participation and poor diet, Gibson (2003) estimates the effect of FSP participation on an adult’s BMI and their probability of being obese. Her findings indicated that FSB receipt leads to an increase in BMI and a high probability of obesity in women. She finds no similar effects for men. Similarly, Baum (2007) quantifies the effect of FSP participation on obesity, but unlike Gibson (2003), does so in a dynamic framework. He finds that women who receive FSB have BMIs that grow faster than non- recipients, and that FSP participants have a higher probability of becoming obese in any period. Like Gibson (2003), Baum’s results are specific to women.
Hofferth and Curtin (2005) study the effects of poverty and participation in government sponsored food programs on a child’s weight. They examine the effect of participation in the FSP, school lunch program, school breakfast program, and different combinations of these programs on a child’s BMI. They find that living in a FSP household does not significantly increase a low-income child’s likelihood of being overweight; and is, in fact, associated with a child being of normal weight. Jones et al. (2003) examine the prevalence of obesity in low-income children and find that FSP participation significantly
reduces the odds that a low-income girl (between the ages of 5 and 12) is overweight; however, they did not find an effect for an equivalent male.
Both of the aforementioned results are consistent with the findings of the preceding chapter of this dissertation; in which, I examine the effects of FSP participation on obesity in a framework that carefully models weight accumulation as a dynamic process. Specifically, the current period’s weight is taken to be a function of the previous period’s weight as well as other covariates. Two estimations were performed. In the first the weight accumulation process is examined, and no significant relationship between a household’s FSP participation status and a child’s BMI is identified. This result suggests that FSP participation does not influence the weight accumulation path for children, and thus does not play a causal role in childhood obesity. To further test this finding a Cox Proportional Hazard model is estimated, the results of which indicate that FSP participation does not affect the probability that a child becomes obese.
Thus far, the only work to explore the relationship between FSP participation and obesity in mothers is Gibson (2006), whose analysis is limited to mothers with daughters between the ages of 5 and 11. She considers the effect of FSP participation on the obesity outcome of a mother conditional on her child’s obesity status and vice versa. Her findings indicate that FSP participation significantly increases the probability that a mother (with a young daughter) is obese, and the probability that the two are obese simultaneously. She finds no evidence that FSP participation affects the probability that a mother is obese given that her daughter is not (and vice versa). While Gibson does find evidence that FSP
participation is positively related to motherhood obesity her analysis is limited to a very specific group of mothers. Her findings may not extend to mothers of sons or mothers with very young and/or older girls. This paper builds on Gibson (2006) by considering the effect of FSP participation on mothers unconditional on her child’s age, gender, and obesity status.
This paper also builds on the work of Gibson (2003, 2006) and Baum (2007) and makes two significant contributions to the existing literature. First and foremost, this paper bridges the gap in the literature focusing on women and children by directing its attention entirely on mothers. If results indicate that participation in the FSP is not related to obesity in mothers, but is for women who are not mothers, this will provide an important piece of the puzzle. Such a finding will indicate that women without children drive the effect found in previous work.
Second, this paper is the first to use the A.C. Nielsen HomeScan data to analyze the food purchasing behavior of FSE households and to draw comparisons between households with and without children. Use of this unique data set allows me to directly observe the foods purchased by FSE households. Additionally, this paper is the first to use the GI to objectively identify the “healthiness” of foods brought into a household. This analysis is pivotal to understanding the food related purchases and consumption choices being made by FSE households. Knowledge of the foods that are brought into FSE households is of great interest to policy makers as they evaluate the amount of FSB families should be allocated, and the distribution method that should be employed.