While most people in the U.S. have adequate access to food, some persons experience food insecurity, lacking the money and resources to acquire the food necessary for active, healthy living. Little is known about how food security might influence economic and health outcomes for persons with disabilities. Led by Dr. Debra Brucker, The Disability and Food Insecurity project focuses on the intersection of access to food and disability status.
Project Staff
Debra Brucker
Research Associate Professor
Project Partners
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Economic Research Service
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Mail Stop 1800
Washington, DC 20250-0002
The Association of Food Security with Economic and Health Outcomes for Persons with Disabilities
Using linked data from the 2011 National Health Interview Survey and the 2012-2013 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey, we will investigate how economic and health outcomes differ by food security status among working-age adults (25-61) with disabilities, controlling for individual characteristics and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation. Food security status will be gathered from the 2011 NHIS. Individual level economic (earnings and employment) and health (health care utilization, self-reported health status) outcomes will be gathered from the 2012 and 2013 MEPS.
We hypothesize that people with disabilities who live in food insecure households will have poorer health and economic outcomes than people with disabilities who live in food secure households. Hypotheses will be tested on three different sub-populations: persons with any disability, persons with psychological distress, and persons receiving public disability benefits. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and mixed effect models will examine outcomes of interest over time. Results will be shared in peer-reviewed journals and in USDA publications.
Outcomes
Brucker, D.L. (2017). The association of food insecurity with health outcomes for adults with disabilities. Disability & Health Journal, 10(2): 286-293. DOI: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2016.12.006.
Brucker, D.L. (2018). Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation among working-age adults with disabilities who experience employment exits and entries. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition. DOI: 10.1080/19329248.2018.1537870. (Online October 18, 2018).
This project was funded by the USDA Economic Research Service from 2015-2018 under cooperative agreement 58-5000-5-0098. The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the USDA Economic Research Service and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Disability, Food Security and SNAP Participation Among Transition Age Youth (age 18-25)
While most people in the U.S. have adequate access to food, some persons experience food insecurity, lacking the money and resources to acquire the food necessary for active, healthy living. This project used data from the National Health Interview Survey to examine differences in food insecurity and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation by disability type for young adults, controlling for demographic characteristics. This research adds depth to existing research on the relationship between disabilities and food insecurity, focusing on an age group that has generally been understudied with regard to food insecurity.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service recently funded the collection of a 30-day adult food security module for the National Health Interview Survey. This project will use that available data to examine differences in food security and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation by disability type for transition age youth, controlling for demographic characteristics. Levels of food security will also be compared across SNAP participants by disability type. This research will add depth to existing research on the relationship between disabilities and food insecurity and focus on an age group that has generally been understudied with regard to food security.
Project outcomes
Brucker, D.L. & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Food insecurity across the adult lifespan for persons with disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. DOI: 10.1177/1044207317710701.
Brucker, D.L. & Nord, D. (2016). Food insecurity among young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Evidence from the National Health Interview Survey. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 121(6): 520-532. DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-121.6.520
Brucker, D.L. (2016). Food security among young adults with disabilities in the United States: Findings from the National Health Interview Survey. Disability and Health Journal. 9(2): 298-305. DOI: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2015.10.003
One additional article, summarizing the works above, is forthcoming in Amber Waves, a monthly publication of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service.
The Disability, Food security, and SNAP participation among transition age youth (age 18-25) project was funded by the USDA Economic Research Service from 2014-2016 under cooperative agreement 58-5000-4-0026. The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the USDA Economic Research Service and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
