Food stamps could help US trim obesity epidemic

• Autores: Peter Aldhous
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2928, 2013, pág. 10
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Congressional wrangling over legislation to renew funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which runs out on Sep 30, seems likely to result in deep cuts to a scheme that helps feed 46 million US citizens. Some of the rhetoric condemns SNAP as one of many examples of government waste responsible for dragging the US economy into the mire. In fact, research by the US Department of Agriculture suggests that SNAP stimulates as much as 59 of economic activity for every 55 it spends. What's more, public health advocates say the political acrimony has obscured a big opportunity: using SNAP to experiment with solutions to the wider problems of poor nutrition and obesity in the US. Here, Aldhous examines how incentives could improve the health of the country's poorest citizens.