Child hunger and the protective effects of supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) and alternative food sources among Mexican-origin families in Texas border colonias

Table 2 Community resources by presence of child hunger ( n = 470)

	Total		No child hunger		Child hunger
	(n = 470)		(n = 231)		(n = 239)
	% ( n)	Mean ± SD	% ( n)	Mean ± SD	% ( n)	Mean ± SD
Grocery purchase^a
Supermarket	60.4 (284)		70.1 (162)		51.0 (122)^***
Supercenter	59.6 (280)		46.7 (108)		72.0 (172)^***
Dollar store	24.3 (114)		9.1 (21)		38.9 (93)^***
Nutrition assistance programs
SNAP	63.4 (298)		67.5 (156)		59.4 (142)
Amount ($)		357.20 ± 198.76		363.29 ± 215.34		350.51 ± 179.32
Days last^b		20.9 ± 7.7		22.4 ± 7.6		19.2 ± 7.5^***
<14 days	10.2 (30)		7.8 (12)		12.9 (18)
14-20 days	23.5 (69)		16.9 (26)		30.7 (43)^**
21-30 days	66.3 (195)		75.3 (116)		56.4 (79)^***
WIC^c	70.1 (188)		65.5 (93)		75.4 (95)
SBP^d	61.8 (222)		75.0 (123)		50.8 (99)^***
NSLP^d	62.1 (223)		75.0 (123)		51.3 (100)^***
Emergency	1.9 (9)		1.7 (4)		2.1 (5)
Local food environment
Little variety	92.1 (433)		89.2 (206)		95.0 (227)^*
Few grocery stores	93.0 (437)		90.0 (208)		95.8 (229)^**
High prices	94.7 (445)		92.2 (213)		97.1 (232)^*
Food challenges
No balance – school year^e	30.6 (144)		5.6 (13)		54.8 (131)^***
No balance - summer^f	38.9 (183)		16.4 (38)		60.7 (145)^***
Alternative food source^g
Neighbor/friend	26.2 (123)		36.8 (85)		15.9 (38)^***
MFV	31.7 (149)		28.1 (65)		35.1 (84)
Pulga	31.7 (149)		38.5 (89)		25.1 (60)^***

^aParticipants could identify more than one store.
^bAmong 294 SNAP recipients who answered this question.
^cAmong 268 households with a child under 5 y.
^dAmong 359 households with school-age children (6–17 y).
^eUnable to give my child(ren) a balanced meal during the school year because I can’t afford it.
^fUnable to give my child(ren) a balanced meal during the summer because I can’t afford it.
^gParticipants responded to use of each type of alternative food source.
SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; WIC = Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; SBP = School Breakfast Program; NSLP = National School Lunch Program; Emergency = food bank, food pantry, church; MFV = Mobile Food Vendor; Pulga = Flea market.
Comparison between households with no child hunger vs. child hunger: binary variables (cross-tabs with χ² statistic) and continuous variables (Student’s t-test). Statistical significance: ^* p < 0.05, ^** p < 0.01, ^*** p < 0.001.

ISSN: 1471-2431