Study assesses importance of SNAP in rural areas, proposes changes to make the program more accessible

Newly published research assesses the needs of rural residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (formerly food stamps) and how the program can be improved for them. 

Many changes have been proposed that would make SNAP more accessible to rural residents, especially since rural households are slightly more likely to receive SNAP benefits than their urban counterparts, and rural SNAP recipients sometimes have difficulty accessing such benefits because of transportation and other issues.

"The special considerations we identified include allowing canned, frozen, and dried fruits and vegetables as eligible items in financial incentive programs in rural areas; changing direct education programming to address transportation-related barriers many rural families face in attending in-person classes; and supporting rigorous research to evaluate the potential benefits and unintended consequences of proposed program changes for which scant high-quality evaluation data exist," write the paper's authors, all from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health.

Accessing the study online carries a fee upwards of $24, but you may be able to obtain a free copy by emailing the authors.