WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2004 -Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced $1.1 million in grant and cooperative agreement awards for research on food assistance and nutrition programs in seven states and the District of Columbia. "USDA's food assistance and nutrition programs help ensure that all Americans have access to nutritious, healthful diets," said Veneman. "This research will help evaluate and meet the changing nutritional needs of our nation's most vulnerable families and individuals."

The goal of the research is to examine, evaluate and enhance USDA's food and nutrition assistance programs. The grants and cooperative agreements will fund projects in California, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Virginia. The projects will examine a number of program-related issues:

• Long-term costs to the nation associated with children being overweight;

• Role of food stamps following welfare reform;

• Relationship between Food Stamp Program participation and the prevalence of obesity;

• Effects of household food security on physical and mental health of mothers and young children;

• Potential uses of behavioral economics concepts for improving the diets of food assistance program participants;

• Feasibility of nutrition education intervention programs in food stores serving low-income consumers;

• Effect of income volatility on Food Stamp Program participation of the working poor;

• Impact of state-level policy changes on Food Stamp Program participation; and

• Evaluation of options to simplify Food Stamp Program eligibility determination.

All of the research projects are competitively awarded by the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP), administered by USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS). FANRP studies and evaluates the performance of, and issues related to, the Food Stamp Program, WIC, and Child Nutrition Programs.

The following is a complete list of award recipients.

Further information can be accessed on the web at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodNutritionAssistance/Funding or from program contact Vic Oliveira (202) 694-5434, email: victoro@ers.usda.gov.

Research Funding Opportunities: Fiscal 2004 FANRP Awards

Future Costs of Childhood Obesity: Estimates and Implications Matthew Davis University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI

This study will develop national estimates of the long-term costs of children being overweight. Such estimates will be useful in informing decisions regarding investments in programs for overweight prevention and treatment, as well as related research initiatives. This project will develop novel probabilistic models for estimating long-term direct costs (health care) and indirect costs (missed school, missed work, disability) related to children being overweight. The project will analyze data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) for the years 2000-2002 for children aged 10-18 in age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) categories, combined with corresponding MEPS-linked National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data for adults aged 19-35. These data will be supplemented by data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Grant: $150,000

The Role of Food Stamps in the Post-Reform Safety Net: The Three-City Study Robert Moffitt Johns Hopkins University. Baltimore, MD

This study will examine participation in the Food Stamp Program and the Temporary

Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program and the well-being of low-income families during the first recession since welfare reform. The study will use a combination of longitudinal survey data from the Three-City Study (Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio) and program administrative data.

Cooperative Research Agreement: $200,000

An Examination of the Effects of Food Stamps on Obesity Charles Baum Middle Tennessee State University. Murfreesboro, TN

This study will examine the causal relationship between Food Stamp Program participation and the prevalence of obesity by applying advanced econometric techniques to the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Special attention will be given to control for the potential bias from unobserved heterogeneity among the characteristics of program participants and nonparticipants. Cooperative Research Agreement: $120,000

Food Security, Obesity, and Mental Health in Mothers and Preschool Children Robert Whitaker Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. Princeton, NJ

This project will use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine the relationships among household food security, the obesity status of mothers and their preschool children, and the mental health of mothers and the prevalence of children's behavioral issues. Household food insecurity may cause mothers and young children to experience worse health due to poor nutrition and stress associated with uncertainty about obtaining an adequate supply of food. Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $150,000

An Exploration of Potential Uses of Behavioral Economics Concepts for Improving the Diets of Food Assistance Program Participants David Just Cornell University. Ithaca, NY

This project will examine the potential applicability of behavioral economics and food psychology concepts to strategies for improving the diets of food assistance program participants. The project will include a critical review of the literature, generation of experimental hypotheses, development of experimental protocols, and small-scale experiments. Cooperative Research Agreement: $100,000

A Feasibility Study of Nutrition Education Intervention in Food Stores Serving the Low Income Joel Gittelsohn Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Baltimore, MD

This project will develop a methodology to evaluate a food-store-based nutrition intervention program for low-income consumers. The intervention will increase the availability of healthful food choices in participating stores and promote those foods at the point of purchase. The feasibility study will develop and field-test reliable and valid methods for assessing program impacts on food store sales, as well as relevant consumer attitudes and behaviors. In addition, the project will assess the costs and benefits of running the program for the stores involved. Grant: $100,000

Income Volatility and Its Effect on Food Stamp Participation of the Working Poor Mary Farrell Lewin Group. Falls Church, VA

This study will examine the effect of short-term and long-term earnings volatility on the Food Stamp Program participation decisions of the working poor, a group that has had low levels of program participation. The study will analyze data from the 1996 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) matched to administrative data on earnings records from the Social Security Administration. Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $100,000

How Are State Food Stamp and TANF Policy Choices Affecting Food Stamp Participation Caroline Ratcliffe The Urban Institute. Washington, DC

Food Stamp Program participation rates fell sharply in the mid- to late-1990s. In response, new policy options were made available for State administrators to improve accessibility. This project will quantify Food Stamp Program State-level policy changes made between 1996 and 2003 and, using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), estimate the relative impacts of Food Stamp Program policies, cash welfare policies, and economic and demographic characteristics on Food Stamp Program participation. Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $100,000

Integrating Food Stamp Program Rules and Processes With Other Public Assistance Programs Thomas MaCurdy The SPHERE Institute. Burlingame, CA

The 2002 Farm Act provided increased flexibility in Food Stamp Program eligibility determination and provided options to administrators to align Food Stamp Program eligibility criteria with other public assistance programs. This project will extend an existing simulation model to evaluate tradeoffs associated with options to simplify Food Stamp Program eligibility determination. Special emphasis will be placed on the impacts of using eligibility based on other public assistance programs. Assistance Type Cooperative Agreement: $100,000