Can access to restaurant meals under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lead to obesity?

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) makes an exception to its rules, which allows elderly and/or disabled individuals, their spouses, as well as homeless beneficiaries, to buy hot prepared food from restaurants if they live in a state that participates in the Restaurant Meals Program (R...

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Main Author: Ayesha Jamal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press
Series:Agricultural and Resource Economics Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1068280525000048/type/journal_article
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author Ayesha Jamal
author_facet Ayesha Jamal
author_sort Ayesha Jamal
collection DOAJ
description Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) makes an exception to its rules, which allows elderly and/or disabled individuals, their spouses, as well as homeless beneficiaries, to buy hot prepared food from restaurants if they live in a state that participates in the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP). Using the staggered countywide adoption timeline in California, coupled with a stacked difference-in-differences empirical strategy, I examine the intent-to-treat (ITT) nutritional effects of RMP on the elderly population. Overall, I find no evidence that obesity rates for the elderly are any different in counties with RMP versus those without RMP. I can statistically rule out moderate effects. Additional evidence from some of the early-adopting counties suggests that RMP is associated with a reduction in food insecurity among the elderly.
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spelling doaj-art-025b4e4fc07941928dcfb2c6233226782025-08-20T03:12:47ZengCambridge University PressAgricultural and Resource Economics Review1068-28052372-261412410.1017/age.2025.4Can access to restaurant meals under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lead to obesity?Ayesha Jamal0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6954-2073Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business, Department of Economics and Finance, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USASupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) makes an exception to its rules, which allows elderly and/or disabled individuals, their spouses, as well as homeless beneficiaries, to buy hot prepared food from restaurants if they live in a state that participates in the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP). Using the staggered countywide adoption timeline in California, coupled with a stacked difference-in-differences empirical strategy, I examine the intent-to-treat (ITT) nutritional effects of RMP on the elderly population. Overall, I find no evidence that obesity rates for the elderly are any different in counties with RMP versus those without RMP. I can statistically rule out moderate effects. Additional evidence from some of the early-adopting counties suggests that RMP is associated with a reduction in food insecurity among the elderly.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1068280525000048/type/journal_articlefood insecurityobesityRestaurant Meals ProgramSNAPI14I18I3
spellingShingle Ayesha Jamal
Can access to restaurant meals under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lead to obesity?
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review
food insecurity
obesity
Restaurant Meals Program
SNAP
I14
I18
I3
title Can access to restaurant meals under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lead to obesity?
title_full Can access to restaurant meals under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lead to obesity?
title_fullStr Can access to restaurant meals under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lead to obesity?
title_full_unstemmed Can access to restaurant meals under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lead to obesity?
title_short Can access to restaurant meals under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lead to obesity?
title_sort can access to restaurant meals under the supplemental nutrition assistance program lead to obesity
topic food insecurity
obesity
Restaurant Meals Program
SNAP
I14
I18
I3
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1068280525000048/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT ayeshajamal canaccesstorestaurantmealsunderthesupplementalnutritionassistanceprogramleadtoobesity