Snap benefits login12/6/2023 ![]() She found that the program made a big difference in closing the race-based food insecurity gap. They focused on a sample of 4,974 households divided into specific categories-entirely white, entirely Black, entirely Asian, as well as multiracial families-and looked within each to identify disparities in food insecurity. She and her fellow researchers analyzed national data that the Census Bureau collects through the Survey of Income and Program Participation, which tracks income levels and SNAP use. ![]() Her most recent study, published in June in JAMA Network Open, examined the influence of SNAP on racial disparities and food insecurity. "Older adults need someone to help them purchase or prepare food," Samuel says.Ī better understanding of these barriers to food access "drove me to want to do this type of research." Lack of transportation and access to grocery stores are two causes aging is another. "It's often about money, but it also can be more complex than that," she adds. "Not having enough nutritious food will make an impact on your health over the long term, with higher rates of chronic conditions, disability, and earlier death," she says.įood insecurity, Samuel explains, is defined as not having consistent access to food because of social or economic conditions. Poor nutrition raises the risk of developing numerous health problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and certain types of cancers. "As a nurse, you can't improve people's health if they don't have food to eat," she says. One singular focus has been on food insecurity and the impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. It isn't surprising then that Samuel, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, aims her research lens at economic and racial disparities and their effects on public health, aging, disabilities, and chronic care. Still, those experiences planted a seed in my head financial strain can affect people's lives and well-being." "Sometimes it might not have been the food we wanted, or the most balanced of meals, but we were never hungry. "We all knew there were certain things we couldn't afford, but my parents always made sure there was food on the table," she recalls. Despite these challenges, her parents never failed to provide food for their kids. When Laura Samuel talks about food insecurity, she often draws upon her own experiences spending part of her youth in a mobile home in coastal Maine, one of six children in a hardworking family that often faced tough choices regarding money.
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