Table 3. Baseline and Follow-up Differences Between Participants Who Were Newly Food Secure and Participants Who Were Persistently Food Insecure in Study of SNAP Eligibility, Food Security, and Health After a SNAP Policy Change, California, 2019–2020a .
| Item | Persistently Insecure (n = 100) | Newly Secure (n = 28) | P Valueb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline factor | |||
| Food insecurity, meanc | 7.2 | 6.7 | .003 |
| Healthy Food Index–2015, mean scored | 45.6 | 43.2 | .25 |
| Alternative Healthy Food Index–2010, mean scored | 46.9 | 44.3 | .25 |
| Stress, mean scoree | 20.1 | 16.7 | .08 |
| Mean no. of unhealthy days | 16.9 | 11.9 | .06 |
| General health status excellent/very good, n (%)b | 74 (75.5) | 16 (57.1) | .10 |
| Mean no. of trade-offsf | 1.9 | 1.5 | .08 |
| Cost-related medication nonadherence, n (%) | 26 (34.7) | 4 (18.2) | .19 |
| Weekly food budget shortfall, mean, $ | 80.00 | 54.70 | .25 |
| Used community food resources in past 30 days | 78 (83.0) | 24 (85.7) | >.99 |
| Difference in difference from baseline to follow-up | |||
| Food insecurity, meanc | −0.1 | −5.3 | <.001 |
| Healthy Food Index–2015, mean scored | −0.3 | −2.6 | .49 |
| Alternative Healthy Food Index–2010, mean scored | −2.1 | −2.5 | .54 |
| Stress, mean scoree | 0.7 | −9.0 | .02 |
| Mean no. of unhealthy days | 2.1 | −10.3 | .52 |
| General health status excellent/very good, n (%)b | 8 (8.2) | 1 (3.6) | .68 |
| Mean no. of trade-offsf | −0.3 | −1.3 | .53 |
| Cost-related medication nonadherence, n (%) | 7 (11.5) | 1 (4.5) | .68 |
| Weekly food budget shortfall, mean, $ | −34.76 | −29.67 | .87 |
| Used community food resources in past 30 days, n (%) | 7 (7.4) | 1 (3.6) | .68 |
Abbreviations: SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Baseline survey administered to Supplemental Security Income recipients during May–August 2019; follow-up survey administered September 2019–January 2020. Policy change in effect beginning June 1, 2019.
Fisher exact test used for bivariate variables and Mann–Whitney U test used for continuous variables.
The US Department of Agriculture’s US Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form was scored as a continuous variable (minimum value, 2.86; maximum, 8.48) by using the US Department of Agriculture’s published weights derived from a Rasch model (15); the higher the score, the greater the food insecurity.
Scored from 0 to 100 with higher numbers indicating more nutritious dietary intake.
Scored from 0 to 40: low, 0–13; moderate, 14–26; high, 27–40.
Trade-offs defined as answering yes to 1 or 2 times per year, some months, or every month (compared with never).