A recent nationwide study that followed changes in the body mass index (BMI) of United States Food Stamp participants over a 14 year period has found there may be a link between food stamp use and obesity in the United States—particularly among women.On average, the study found that food stamp users had a BMI 1.15 points higher than that of non-users. The biggest discrepancy between users and non-users is found in women. The study found that female food stamp users had a BMI 1.24 points higher than female non-users. This amounts to an increase in weight of roughly 5.8 lbs. The study also revealed that BMI increases faster for people on the program, and that BMI increases more the longer the person is on the program.
The study was co-authored by Jay Zagorsky, a research scientist at Ohio State University’s Center for Human Resource Research, and by Patricia Smith of the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The study is available in the current issue of the Economics and Human Biology journal.
According to the Science Daily press release on the study, “[t]he researchers used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which has questioned the same group of randomly selected Americans since 1979. The NLSY is conducted by Ohio State’s Center for Human Resource Research.” The last year of the study was 2002.
In 2008, 1 in 11 people in the United States received benefits. This amounts to 28 million food stamp users. Zagorsky is quoted in the Science Daily press release as stating, ‘“We can’t prove that the Food Stamp Program causes weight gain, but this study suggests a strong linkage . . . While food stamps may help fight hunger, they may have the unintended consequence of encouraging weight gain among women.”’
Obesity has been linked to poverty and other issues in a person’s life. To tailor the study appropriately, Zagorsky and Smith relied on various control factors to determine whether a link exists. Among the control factors taken into account were race, education, and where the participants lived. Even with the controls, the link between food stamps and obesity was “clear,” particularly for women.
‘“Every way we looked at the data, it was clear that the use of food stamps was associated with weight gain,”’ Zagorsky said. Still, from the data the researchers are unsure why food stamp participation tends to lead to unhealthy eating practices. One of the Zagorsky’s theories is the purchasing power of food stamps is low, which impedes a person's ability to purchase healthier foods. For instance, “[g]overnment statistics showed that the average recipient received $81 in food stamps per month in 2002, the last year examined in this study. ‘That figure was shocking to me.’ Zagorsky said. ‘I think it would be very difficult for a shopper to regularly buy healthy, nutritious food on that budget.”’
It remains to be seen if this study will lead to any legislative changes in the program to combat the existence of obesity among its users. To read the Science Daily press release click here. To read more about the study or to access the study click here (payment may be required).
Posted: 08/11/09
