Coping Strategies Among Food Insecure Households Above and Below SNAP Income Guidelines in a High Cost-of-Living Region

Abstract

Background

Income requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are largely the same across the US (at/below 130% federal poverty level or FPL), despite regional variations in cost-of-living. Households with income above 130% FPL may still experience food insecurity, especially in high cost-of-living regions. In 2022, 44% of food insecure households reported income above 130% FPL, leaving them ineligible for SNAP.

Objective

This project explores how households above and at/below 130% FPL living in the Parachute to Aspen Corridor, a high cost-of-living mountain resort-rural region in Colorado, cope with food insecurity.

Study Design, Settings, Participants

Surveys were administered to 1,070 food-insecure adult residents above and at/below 130% FPL within this region (referred to as SNAP ineligible and SNAP ineligible, respectively).

Measurable Outcome/Analysis

Outcome variables included use of community food assistance (ie, food pantries) and economic tradeoffs (forgoing basic needs like housing for food). Ordinal logistic regressions evaluated differences in use of community food assistance and economic tradeoffs between SNAP eligible and SNAP ineligible residents, adjusting for covariates.

Results

Approximately 59% reported income below 130% FPL and 41% reported income above 130% FPL. Low or very low food insecurity was reported by 91% of participants. The odds of obtaining food from food pantries (from ‘only a little’ to ‘all’ vs ‘none’) was lower in SNAP-eligible compared to SNAP-ineligible participants, adjusting for sociodemographics and barriers to food assistance (OR=0.630, p<0.05). The odds of engaging in all evaluated economic tradeoffs (from ‘rarely’ to ‘always’ vs ‘none’) were lower in SNAP eligible participants compared to SNAP-ineligible participants (medicine, OR=0.625; housing, OR=0.696; utilities, OR=0.652; transportation, OR=0.548; childcare, OR=0.475; education, OR=.397, all p<.05), adjusting for sociodemographics, financial literacy, and household resiliency.

Conclusions

These findings show that households above 130% FPL in a high-cost-of-living region cope with food insecurity through use of food assistance, like food pantries, and tradeoffs with other basic needs. This signals the need to address food insecurity among households who are unable to receive federal food assistance.

Funding

Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station (USDA Hatch funds)