The unhealthy food environment does not modify the association between obesity and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Los Angeles County.
BACKGROUND
Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, but not much is known about the mechanisms behind this association. The objective of this study was to determine if the neighborhood density of unhealthy food outlets modifies the association between obesity and participation in SNAP.


METHODS
Data comes from the first wave of the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey; included are a subsample of adults (18+ years) who were SNAP participants or eligible non-participants (N = 1,176). We carried out multilevel analyses with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2), SNAP participation, and the neighborhood density of unhealthy food outlets as dependent, independent and modifying variables, respectively, controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, working status, mental health, and neighborhood poverty.


RESULTS
SNAP participants had double the odds of obesity compared to eligible non-participants (OR = 2.02; 95%CI = 1.44-2.83). However, the neighborhood density of unhealthy food outlets did not modify this association.


CONCLUSIONS
SNAP participation was associated with higher odds of obesity in our primarily Hispanic sample in Los Angeles County, with no effect modification found for the unhealthy portion of the food environment. More research is needed with additional food environment measures to confirm our null findings. Additional research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms linking SNAP participation and obesity as they remain unclear.
['Chaparro|M Pia|MP|', 'Harrison|Gail G|GG|', 'Wang|May C|MC|', 'Seto|Edmund Y W|EY|', 'Pebley|Anne R|AR|']
D000328:Adult D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D004032:Diet D005260:Female D063105:Food Assistance D005523:Food Supply D006630:Hispanic or Latino D006801:Humans D015141:Los Angeles D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D055361:Multilevel Analysis D009765:Obesity D011203:Poverty D012111:Residence Characteristics
Food environment Obesity SNAP Los Angeles County Effect modification Multilevel analysis