Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs: Research Funding Opportunities

Association Between Prenatal WIC Exposure and Maternal Behavior, Health, and Birth Outcomes
Ted Joyce
National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA

This study will examine the effect of prenatal WIC participation on a wide range of outcomes, including fetal growth, smoking and drinking during pregnancy, smoking cessation, greater prenatal care, maternal weight gain, anemia, multivitamin consumption, and breastfeeding. The study will use data from nine States participating in the Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System (PNSS).
Grant: $180,000

The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations: Still “An Acceptable Alternative” to Food Stamps?
Kenneth Finegold
The Urban Institute, Washington, DC

The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) has been an alternative to the Food Stamp Program since 1977. This study will compare the FDPIR and the Food Stamp Program with regard to eligibility, participation, administration, and possible effects on health and nutrition. The project will combine qualitative data obtained from in-depth site visits to four tribal reservations with quantitative analyses of both program administrative data and survey data obtained from the Current Population Survey, the Navajo Health and Nutrition Survey, and the California Health Interview Survey.
Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $267,000

This study will examine the causes of recent declines in Food Stamp Program error rates, including the possible role of recent options for program simplification and new emphasis on access. The project will also examine the role of State program policies, caseload characteristics, economic conditions, and expenditures on certification-related activities. The project will extend previous analyses of the period 1989-2001 to include data through 2005.
Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $130,000

Household surveys tend to underreport participation in the Food Stamp Program. This project will draw on a data set that links Census Bureau data—including the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the American Community Survey—with administrative data from Illinois and Maryland to describe and analyze underreporting of Food Stamp Program participation and the implications for studies using these surveys.
Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $150,000

Effects of Changes to State and Federal Asset Eligibility Policies for the Food Stamp Program
Karen Cunnyngham
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Princeton, NJ

This project will use a simulation analysis to assess the effects of recent and proposed changes to the asset and categorical eligibility policies in the Food Stamp Program. Estimated effects will include changes in benefit costs, administrative costs, participant characteristics, and State-to-State equitability of the program. Results of this analysis will provide policymakers with information on how different types of households would fare under various policy scenarios.
Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $130,000

Understanding Determinants of Food Assistance Program Participation Decisions on Indian Reservations: A Framework for Program Assessment
Michelle Chino
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV

This project will develop a study plan, methodology, and instrumentation that address the research question: What are the determinants of USDA food assistance program participation decisions of Native Americans on reservations? Issues of interest will include consumer valuation of USDA commodity donations; how choices are made between participation in the Food Stamp Program and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations; and the role of food prices, store access, and nutrition/health information in food consumption decisions of Native Americans.
Cooperative Research Agreement: $35,000

School Meal Program Participation, Food Consumption Away from School and Home, and Obesity Among Students
Philip Gleason
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Princeton, NJ

This study will examine the effects of participation in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program on key factors involved in childhood obesity, such as students’ dietary behaviors (consumption of beverages, low-nutrient energy-dense foods, and fruits and vegetables; caloric intake at school, at home, and away from school/home), weight, and body mass index (BMI). This research will shed light on the overall effect of school meal participation on obesity as well as distinguish the roles of the food environment both within and outside of school.
Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $240,000

This study will examine the effect of participation in the Food Stamp Program, the National School Lunch Program, and the School Breakfast Program on child weight using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) and a range of econometric approaches. In particular, the study will examine participation in food assistance programs and its effects on food intake and food security and their subsequent effects on child weight.
Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $235,000

The School Breakfast Program: Participation and Impacts
Judi Bartfeld
Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

This study will address three research objectives related to the School Breakfast Program: (1) identify household and contextual factors that are predictive of participation in the program, (2) determine the impact of program availability on the likelihood that students eat breakfast, and (3) assess the impact of participation on household food security. The study will use data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K).
Cooperative Research Agreement: $120,000

Where Is the Threshold? Estimation of the Money-Time Threshold for Food Stamp Participants
George Davis
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

For many households, especially households headed by a single person, the time needed for food preparation is an important factor to consider in order to better understand the efficacy of the Food Stamp Program and benefit levels. This project will integrate the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement with the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) Food and Eating Module to assess the tradeoffs between time and money in poverty thresholds for households participating in the Food Stamp Program.
Cooperative Research Agreement: $100,000

This project will examine the economic survival strategies of low-income families based on detailed interviews. Analysis will be conducted on how, when, and under what circumstances families use the Food Stamp Program; the decisionmaking process around Food Stamp Program application, enrollment, and recertification; and the role that food assistance programs play in families’ overall economic coping strategies. Households will be selected from the Michigan Women’s Employment Survey.
Grant: $91,000

The Multiple Contexts of Food Insecurity: Evaluating the Impact on Child Energy Balance
Lori Kowaleski-Jones
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

This study will examine the relationships between local food environment, household food insecurity, and elementary school children’s energy balance, using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). Additionally, the study will investigate how changes in community characteristics and food insecurity affect changes in child body mass index (BMI).
Cooperative Research Agreement: $77,000