How Does SNAP Access Prior to Pregnancy Affect Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes?

Consistent access to healthy food even before pregnancy can play a role in maternal and child health. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance to low-income individuals, including those who do not yet have children (often classified as Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, or ABAWDs). Our study uses ABAWD work requirement waivers – which vary within and across counties over a 15-year-period – as a measure of SNAP access for childless women. We use this variation to investigate pre-pregnancy SNAP access and the health of mothers and their infants. Using rich, population-wide Vital Statistics data combined with county-level SNAP policy data, we estimate the effects of SNAP on maternal outcomes like diabetes, hypertension, and birth complications as well as child outcomes related to birthweight, gestational age, and general health. Using ABAWD waivers to identify states with more SNAP access allows us to avoid challenges with selection into SNAP eligibility or participation. We find that waived work requirements in the year before conception are associated with a 4 percent reduction in pre-pregnancy hypertension and may also help improve the birth weight distribution of infants. These improvements capture a previously unrecognized benefit of SNAP to maternal and infant health.