Description/Abstract
Food insecurity in families with children has increased dramatically during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Not only is food insecurity a problem on its own, but it is linked to receiving less preventative medical care in the first year of life—including well-child visits and recommended vaccinations. This brief summarizes findings from research examining the connection between SNAP participation and preventative care in an infant’s first year of life in Missouri. Findings show that infants in households that receive unstable SNAP benefits have a lower likelihood of attending all their well-child visits and receiving routine immunizations. Policymakers should consider interventions to simplify the SNAP recertification process and increase the stability of SNAP participation to help mothers and their infants access preventative health care and immunizations.
Document Type
Research Brief
Keywords
SNAP, Preventative Health, Child Health
Disciplines
Health Policy | Other Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology
Date
11-30-2021
For More Information
Language
English
Acknowledgements
Funding was provided by Tufts University/University of Connecticut RIDGE program (Sub-award # AG9002-Arteaga) with funding from ERS-USDA (PTE federal award # 59-5000-6-0070). We gratefully acknowledge the editorial contributions of Nicole Replogle and Shannon Monnat.
Funder(s)
Tufts University/University of Connecticut RIDGE program, ERS-USDA
Funding ID
AG9002-Arteaga, 59-5000-6-0070
Recommended Citation
Heflin, Colleen; Arteaga, Irma A.; and Stafford, Julia, "Consistent SNAP Participation Increases Preventative Health Care Visits for Infants" (2021). Population Health Research Brief Series. 162.
https://surface.syr.edu/lerner/162
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
