Perceived Benefits and Challenges of SNAP Participation Across Urban and Rural Population

Background

Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest federal food assistance initiative, helps to mitigate food insecurity in low-income families. While identifying the specific factors influencing SNAP participation is crucial for ensuring equitable program reach, there is limited exploration of the disparities in participation between urban and rural populations.

Objective

To identify and compare the perceived benefits and challenges that influence SNAP participation across urban and rural Nebraska.

Study Design, Settings, Participants

This cross-sectional study, conducted as part of the SNAP-Ed Nebraska Needs and Assets Assessment Survey 'Healthy People, Healthy State,' focusing on low-income families with at least one child aged 6 or younger (n=1,316 [n=1032 urban; n=284 rural]).

Measurable Outcome/Analysis

Descriptive statistics were calculated to determine the percentages and chi-square tests were used (SPSS v27) to examine significant differences (p < .05) in perceived benefits, participation challenges, and application difficulties for SNAP across urban and rural populations.

Results

A larger proportion of survey participants highlighted the benefits of participating in SNAP over the challenges, underscoring its importance in addressing food insecurity. Among SNAP participants, financial need emerged as a key driver for enrollment, notably higher in rural (69.7%) than urban populations (47.5%, p < 0.001). In the SNAP-eligible population, complex application process stood out as the most prevalent barrier to SNAP participation (25.4% rural, 23.4% urban). Urban participants expressed significantly greater concerns about relying on government assistance compared to rural (15.2% vs. 10.6%, p<0.5). Regarding perceived difficulties about the application process, rural participants reported significantly greater difficulty (53.9% vs. 38.8%, p < 0.001) with the SNAP application process compared to urban, while language accessibility concerns were significantly higher for urban participants (18.4% vs. 3.9%, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

To improve SNAP participation and ensure equitable food access, the following need to be addressed: alleviate financial hardships and streamline application procedures in rural settings, overcome language barriers and stigma in urban settings, and focus on culturally and geographically targeted outreach and education.

Funding

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education