SNAP PARTICIPANTS HAVE HIGHER DEATH RATES

An analysis of health data from almost half-a-million U.S. adults over a decade finds substantially higher death rates among people participating in SNAP. Adjusting for age and sex, participants in SNAP had around twice the mortality rate of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and three times higher diabetes mortality, compared to people not eligible for SNAP. The researchers, from Tufts University, noted that the study did not examine cause-and-effect and whether SNAP participation itself increases the risk of mortality. They believe it demonstrates that SNAP participants are dying at higher rates and strong efforts are needed to improve their health, emphasizing that it is plausible that if these individuals did not participate in SNAP they might have even worse health outcomes.

Source: MedicalXpress, 1/19/17, SNAP Death Rates