Thursday, May 7, 2015

40% of People On Food Stamps Are Obese, Gov't Study Finds

40% of People On Food Stamps Are Obese, Gov't Study Finds

Whenever Republicans talk about trimming the federal food stamp program, Democrats decry them as cold, heartless or worse. But new research shows that cutting food stamps could actually make the country healthier.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture looked at data from 2007 through 2010, then compared average weights of those on food stamps — officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — to those who weren't.
The findings, released on Tuesday, are striking. Food stamp recipients are far more likely to be obese than poor people who are eligible but don't take the help. And they're even more likely to be obese than those with higher incomes.
Fully 40% of food stamp recipients are obese, the study found, compared with just over 30% of those who don't participate in the program.
Children of families on food stamps were also more likely to be obese than children in the other two groups, as were older adults.
At the other end of the scale, there was almost no difference among these three groups in terms of the share who were underweight — all were in the low single digits.
This isn't the first time that this correlation has been found. The Washington Post noted a couple years ago that obesity rates in a Texas county where 40% were on food stamps was double the national average.
Why these puzzling results? Aren't food stamps supposed to be for those living on the edge of starvation?
One explanation often given is that the poor eat too much junk food because they don't have access to grocery stores or fresh produce. But the USDA found that the eating habits of those on food stamps weren't much different from the poor and wealthier people who weren't enrolled in the program.
It's more likely that the availability of food stamps itself is at least partly to blame.
After all, a common reason cited for increased national obesity rates is that food is cheaper than ever. Well, you can't get cheaper than free. So isn't it possible that handing out free food coupons is encouraging millions to overeat?
Whatever the reason for the connection between food stamps and obesity, the findings call into question the efficacy of partisan attacks hurled at those trying to rein in this program, which has exploded in size under President Obama.
Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., called one such GOP proposal "one of the most heartless bills I have ever seen." Others consider these Republicans to be (in the words of one writer) "mean-spirited, anti-government extremists."
But shouldn't Democrats be concerned that a program meant to improve the health and nutrition of the poor is making it much worse for millions of them? Don't these USDA findings cry out for a serious look at this food stamp program and a sober discussion of how it can be targeted better or designed more effectively?
Apparently not. Seems many Democrats would rather score baseless political points than fix an unhealthy aid program.


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