HCPlive (4/17, Walter) reports, “By expanding the eligibility of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), states have reduced the rates of food insecurity, which ultimately may further decrease the rates of mental illness and suicidality among adults,” according to an “ecological cross-sectional study” that “used data on adults in the US from the National Vital Statistics Systems between 2014-2017 and data on adults in the US from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health…State-Level Small Area Estimates between 2015-2019.” The study, published online April 14 in JAMA Network Open, revealed that “state adoption of…SNAP eligibility policies” in which “the state eliminates the asset test and increases the income limit resulted in decreases in the rates of past-year major depressive episodes, mental illness, serious mental illness, and suicidal ideation.”
Related Links:
— “SNAP Program Leads to Less Food Insecurity, Mental Illness Rates “Kenny Walter, HCPlive , April 17, 2023