(PTFS16-01-26) Intergenerational Transmission of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation in the United States

Objectives: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides essential nutritional support for low-income families in the United States and has demonstrably positive effects on food security and economic stability throughout the life course. To understand its role in the documented generational cycle of poverty, we aim to quantify the intergenerational transmission of childhood participation in the SNAP between parents and children in the United States.

Methods: Data was obtained from the 1968 through 2023 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), a United States-based nationally representative household panel survey. Eligible units of observation were parent-child pairs that had both been observed in the PSID under the age of 18. The exposure and primary outcome of SNAP participation in childhood was defined as household participation in any year under the age of 18. Survey-weighted logistic regression models factoring in key poverty indicators compared the odds of SNAP participation in childhood of parents and their children.

Results: In total, 8,986 parent-child pairs were identified. In unadjusted analyses, PSID respondents who received SNAP as children were significantly more likely to have a child receive SNAP during their childhood (OR 4.68, 95% CI 4.13, 5.30). After controlling for key poverty indicators, this association remained significant but was somewhat attenuated (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.34, 1.89). Additionally, while race and sex were independent predictors of childhood SNAP participation, stratified analyses showed similar intergenerational associations across race groups and parental biological sex.

Conclusions: Despite clear evidence of its net benefit in the literature, SNAP is fundamentally a supplemental program that is not enough alone to combat the generational cycle of poverty. This study adds to growing concern regarding the potential long-term effect of recent cuts to SNAP funding on the long-term health and poverty outcomes of US families.

Funding Sources: No external funding