The Association of Food Hardship With Family Resilience and Connection: Does Participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Modify This Association?

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Academic Pediatrics, 2026, v. 25, no. 4: The Association of Food Hardship With Family Resilience and Connection: Does Participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Modify This Association?
• Journal Article:
  Academic Pediatrics
• Personal Author:
  Frank, Madeline ; Austin, Anna E.
• Description:
  The aims of this nationally representative cross-sectional study were to examine 1) the association of food hardship with family resilience and connection among families with children ages 6 to 17 years and 2) whether participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits modified this association.
  
  We used 2019-21 data from the National Survey of Children's Health. We conducted multivariable generalized linear regression to calculate risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) examining the association of food hardship with an established measure of family resilience and connection. Then, among households with incomes <200% of the federal poverty level (FPL), we examined whether the association of food hardship with family resilience and connection differed among households participating and not participating in SNAP. We adjusted analyses for household characteristics and participation in other social safety net programs.
  
  Families who experienced food hardship were less likely (RR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.69, 0.76) to have high family resilience and connection compared to families who did not experience food hardship. SNAP participation did not modify this association among households with incomes <200% FPL (RR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.65, 0.78 for SNAP-participating households; RR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.65, 0.77 for nonparticipating households).
  
  Results add to evidence demonstrating that food hardship is a risk factor for lower family resilience and connection. Results highlight the need for further programs and policies, in addition to SNAP, to support families experiencing food hardship and promote family resilience and connection.
• Content Notes:
  Author manuscript
• Subjects:
  • Humans
  • Food Assistance
  • Child
  • Female
  • Male
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Adolescent
  • Resilience, Psychological
  • Poverty
  • Food Insecurity
  More +
• Keywords:
  • family
  • family connection
  • food hardship
  • resilience
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• Source:
  Academic Pediatrics, 2026, v. 25, no. 4
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2025.102807
• ISSN:
  1876-2859 ; 1876-2867
• Pubmed ID:
  40043793
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC12930788
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  R01 CE003334/CE/NCIPC CDC HHSUnited States/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  102807 (16 pdf pages)
• Volume:
  25
• Issue:
  4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/261624/cdc_261624_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 104.85 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1f95229797a56019c35accd41f9abe369c23a3ca535633fd2ac94cd28caa5b15cf47ab4d4c14a11b11ecca3a23995a07d040ed315e915a670ff0379d7b70dbd8