Table 1:
Demographic characteristics and self-reported frequency of consumption of selected food and beverage items by participation in SNAP.a Cross-sectional data of SNAP-eligible respondentsb collected from four New Jersey cities in 2009–10 and 2014 (n=983).
| All SNAP- Income Eligible Respondents (n=983) |
Not SNAP Participantc (n=395) |
SNAP Participant (n=588) |
P-value for difference by SNAP participationd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| Age | 0.003 | |||
| 18–34 years | 375 (38) | 129 (33) | 246 (42) | |
| 35–54 years | 486 (49) | 204 (52) | 282 (48) | |
| 55+ years | 122 (12) | 62 (16) | 60 (10) | |
| Sex | 0.001 | |||
| Male | 136 (14) | 72 (18) | 64 (11) | |
| Female | 847 (86) | 323 (82) | 524 (89) | |
| Race/ethnicity | 0.004 | |||
| Non-Hispanic white | 40 (4) | 16 (4) | 24 (4) | |
| Non-Hispanic black | 513 (52) | 181 (46) | 332 (56) | |
| Hispanic | 410 (42) | 192 (49) | 218 (37) | |
| Othere | 20 (2) | 6 (2) | 14 (2) | |
| Education | 0.83 | |||
| Less than high school |
285 (29) | 111 (28) | 174 (30) | |
| High school or equivalent |
478 (49) | 199 (50) | 279 (47) | |
| Some college | 183 (19) | 70 (18) | 113 (19) | |
| College Graduate | 37 (4) | 15 (4) | 22 (4) | |
| Poverty status | <0.001 | |||
| ≤50% poverty level | 272 (28) | 73 (18) | 199 (34) | |
| 50–99% poverty level |
479 (49) | 195 (49) | 284 (48) | |
| 100–130% poverty level |
232 (24) | 127 (32) | 105 (18) | |
| WICf Participation | <0.001 | |||
| No | 710 (72) | 311 (79) | 399 (68) | |
| Yes | 273 (28) | 84 (21) | 189 (32) | |
| Food Outlet Environment |
||||
| Small Grocery | 0.18 | |||
| Absence – ½ mile | 590 (60) | 227 (57) | 363 (62) | |
| Presence – ½ mile | 393 (40) | 168 (43) | 225 (38) | |
| Supermarket | 0.08 | |||
| Absence – ½ mile | 647 (66) | 247 (63) | 400 (68) | |
| Presence – ½ mile | 336 (34) | 148 (37) | 188 (32) | |
| Convenience Store | 0.50 | |||
| Absence – ¼ mile | 169 (17) | 64 (16) | 105 (18) | |
| Presence – ¼ mile | 814 (83) | 331 (84) | 483 (82) | |
| Limited Service | 0.23 | |||
| Restaurant | ||||
| Absence – ¼ mile | 310 (32) | 116 (29) | 194 (33) | |
| Presence – ¼ mile | 673 (69) | 279 (71) | 394 (67) | |
| Panel | <0.001 | |||
| 1 (2009–10) | 572 (58) | 279 (71) | 293 (50) | |
| 2 (2014) | 411 (42) | 116 (29) | 295 (50) | |
| City of Residence | <0.001 | |||
| Camden | 331 (34) | 104 (26) | 227 (39) | |
| Newark | 315 (32) | 127 (32) | 188 (32) | |
| New Brunswick | 122 (12) | 72 (18) | 50 (9) | |
| Trenton | 215 (22) | 92 (23) | 123 (21) | |
|
Food and Beverage Items (Daily Consumption Frequency) |
Mean (SD)h | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | p-value |
| Fruit – all | 0.9 (1.1) | 0.9 (1) | 0.9 (1.1) | 0.72 |
| Vegetables - all | 2.2 (1.7) | 2.2 (1.8) | 2.2 (1.6) | 0.79 |
| Salad - all | 0.7 (0.9) | 0.7 (0.9) | 0.7 (0.9) | 0.53 |
| Sugar Sweetened Beverages – all |
1.3 (1.8) | 1.1 (1.5) | 1.5 (2) | 0.001 |
| Soda | 0.6 (1.1) | 0.5 (1) | 0.7 (1.2) | 0.03 |
| Fruit Drinks | 0.7 (1.2) | 0.6 (1) | 0.8 (1.3) | 0.002 |
SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Incomes under 130% of the Federal Poverty Level
Numbers/percentages for SNAP participation sum by column. Percentages may be over 100% due to rounding.
Chi-squared analysis used to determine p-value of difference among groups for categorical variables and t-tests were used to determine differences among eating behaviors.
Other included American Indian/Native American/Aleutian or Eskimo, Asian/Pacific Islander, or self-reported other than races listed.
WIC = Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
SD = Standard deviation