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Resource | Research and Data | Nutrition Education Fit WIC: Programs to Prevent Childhood Overweight in Your Community

Fit WIC can help the nation’s premier early childhood food and nutrition program work more effectively to reduce and prevent unhealthy weight among our children.

05/01/2005
Resource | Research and Data | Food Security Impact of Food Stamp Payment Errors on Household Purchasing Power

Most discussion of payment accuracy in the Food Stamp Program focuses on the overall level and cost of payment errors. Rarely does the discussion focus on the impact of payment errors on individual households affected. This analysis – based on 2003 food stamp quality control data – leads to two broad conclusions. First, virtually all households receiving food stamps are eligible. Thus, the problem of erroneous payments is not so much one of determining eligibility, but rather one of attempting to finely target benefits to the complicated and changing circumstances of low-income households. Second, most overpayments to eligible households are small relative to household income and official poverty standards. As a result, most food stamp households are poor, and they remain poor even when overpaid.

03/01/2005
Resource | Research and Data | Participation Rates Reaching Those in Need: State Food Stamp Participation Rates in 2002

This report is the latest in a series presenting estimates of the percentage of eligible persons, by state, who participate in the Food Stamp Program. The participation rate – a ratio of the number of participants to the number of people eligible for benefits – is an important measure of program performance. 

03/01/2005
Resource | Research and Data | Food Security Obesity, Poverty, and Participation in Nutrition Assistance Programs

The national nutrition safety net consists of 15 programs that provide millions of low-income Americans access to a healthy and nutritious diet. It has been observed that many low-income individuals are both overweight and participants in one or more nutrition assistance programs. This has led some to question whether participation in the nutrition assistance programs contributes to the growing problem of overweight and obesity. This report presents the conclusions of an expert panel convened by the Food and Nutrition Service to determine if there is scientific evidence of a relationship between program participation and excess weight.

02/01/2005
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations Preliminary Report on the Feasibility of Computer Matching in the National School Lunch Program

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 directed the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study of the feasibility of using computer technology to reduce over-certification, waste, fraud and abuse in the National School Lunch Program.

 

01/01/2005
Resource | Research and Data | Demonstrations Team Nutrition Demonstration Project 1999-2002

The FNS goal was to document the process (steps, time, and resources) for fully implementing Team Nutrition  by communicating the four messages to students using the classroom and cafeteria as delivery channels, as well as other places in their environment such as the school, home, community and local media.

12/10/2004
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations Evaluation of the School Breakfast Program Pilot Project

FNS conducted the three-year pilot from SY 2000–2001 through SY 2002–2003. The aim of this pilot was to study the impact of the availability of universal-free school breakfast on breakfast participation and measures related to elementary school students’ nutritional status and academic performance. This pilot was not intended to evaluate the current SBP or the value of consuming breakfast.

12/01/2004
Resource | Research and Data | Participation Rates State Food Stamp Participation Rates for the Working Poor in 2001

In this report we discuss our progress in deriving state participation rates for the working poor. We build upon recent studies examining national participation rates for socioeconomic and demographic subgroups and rates for states among the entire eligible population.

11/01/2004
Resource | Research and Data | Participation Characteristics Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: FY 2003

On average, about 21.3 million people living in 9.2 million households received food stamps in the United States each month in FY 2003. Food stamp households are a diverse group. Because food stamps are available to most low-income households with few resources, regardless of age, disability status, or family structure, recipients represent a broad cross-section of the nation's poor. This report provides information about the demographic and economic circumstances of food stamp households. 

11/01/2004
Resource | Research and Data | Participation Rates Trends in Food Stamp Program Participation Rates: 1999 to 2002

This report presents estimated participation rates for 2002 and revised estimates of rates for 1999, 2000, and 2001.

09/01/2004
Page updated: September 16, 2025