Transition to adulthood: Dynamics of disability, food security, and SNAP participation

This study examines how the transition to adulthood may affect food security for individuals with disabilities and estimates the effects of SNAP participation on their food security during the transition.

The study uses a repeated cross-sectional design with five years of data (2011-2015) from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in the US. The difference-in-difference approach is applied to compare individuals with and without disabilities regarding their food security status in adolescence and young adulthood. Instrumental Variable analyses are conducted using state SNAP policy rules as exogenous instruments to estimate the effects of SNAP participation on food security status for youth and young adults with disabilities.

Results indicate that transition into adulthood results in greater food security for individuals without disabilities but an increased risk of low food security for individuals with disabilities. The increased risk for young adults with disabilities may well put them at very low food security, the most severe category on the food security scale. SNAP participation appears to have greater impacts for youth than for young adults.

Since food security likely has a profound impact on the long-term development, economic independence, and self-sufficiency, we discuss a few policy strategies that may help individuals with disabilities in their transition to adulthood.