Ending emergency food benefits linked to higher child maltreatment rates

A new study has found that in US counties that ended COVID-19 pandemic-era Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Emergency Allotments, child maltreatment rates went up. The findings from the study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, suggest that changes to food assistance programs have consequences that extend beyond food security and also affect child and family well-being.

Child maltreatment is a major public health concern with lasting consequences across the lifespan. Economic hardship, including food insecurity, is a well-established risk factor for child maltreatment, particularly neglect, as it increases psychological distress and disrupts parents' capabilities to support children.

To help families during the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorized states to provide SNAP Emergency Allotments starting in early 2020, allowing participating households to receive nutrition assistance. States discontinued these benefits at different points between 2021 and 2023.

This study analyzed nationwide child welfare data from 1,153 US counties between January 2021 and February 2022 drawn from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), a national administrative data system containing case-level records of all child maltreatment investigations and child welfare services reported by US states. During this period, ten states-Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Tennessee-ended the expanded SNAP Emergency Allotments at different times, while other states continued providing them, allowing the researchers to compare changes in child maltreatment rates between these groups. The study ended in February 2022, before a second wave of states-Iowa, Kentucky, Arizona, Wyoming, Georgia, Indiana, and Alaska-ended the emergency allotments between March and August 2022.

We found that ending the expanded SNAP benefits was associated with increases in substantiated child maltreatment overall, as well as neglect and physical abuse specifically. We also found that the increases in substantiated maltreatment appeared gradually over time after the benefits ended. This suggests that the effects of losing additional food assistance may not appear immediately but may build as families face ongoing financial pressure."

Liwei Zhang, PhD, lead investigator, School of Social Work, University of Georgia

While the research found an increase in substantiated child maltreatment, the number of reports did not significantly go up. This suggests that the observed increase in substantiated maltreatment was not simply the result of more cases being reported.

Previous research has shown that expanded SNAP benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic helped reduce food hardship and improve families' well-being. This study extends prior research by focusing on policy de-implementation, which has received far less attention than studies examining policy implementation.

The findings of this study are particularly important as policymakers continue to consider the role and level of nutrition assistance available to vulnerable families. Millions of people have lost SNAP assistance over the past year, and additional eligibility restrictions and other policy changes are expected to reduce participation further as they are implemented.

Dr. Zhang concludes, "Child maltreatment prevention is often viewed primarily through the lens of the child welfare system. Our findings add to growing evidence that broader economic and social policies, including nutrition assistance, may also promote child and family well-being and prevent harm to children."