SNAP Redemption at Farmers’ Markets: Assessing the Home Nutrition Environment and Healthy Food Accessibility for Maryland SNAP Families

Abstract

Currently, 35.5 million Americans live in a state of food insecurity. To address this insecurity in impoverished households, the federal government has created programs to provide low-income citizens with monetary assistance to purchase food for their families, and achieve a more healthful diet. One such example is SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). To better understand the effects of SNAP availability in farmers’ markets, Team Food Deserts will conduct a mixed-methods research project in stages: first, a market analysis after the implementation of a SNAP redemption program in four area farmers’ markets; second, a cross-sectional survey of SNAP shoppers at the market investigating the relationship between self-efficacy and the home-nutrition environment; and third, evaluating a nutrition education program. At the conclusion of our study, we intend to establish a relationship between a parent’s self-efficacy to provide for their family and their home-nutrition environment, as well to show the economic feasibility of bringing SNAP to farmers’ markets on a wider scale.