Supplemental nutrition assistance program participation and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, overall and by source.

Background: This paper examined patterns in adults' sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and caloric intake by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation status and by source of purchases in the United States (US).

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of consumption of SSBs by source of purchases using 24-hour dietary recall data obtained from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2010 (N=17,891). Bivariate analysis and multivariable regressions were used to examine the association between SNAP participation and SSB calories consumed overall and by source.

Results: SSBs account for approximately 12% of total daily caloric intake (258 kcal) among SNAP participants, higher than that of SNAP-eligible nonparticipants (9% total daily intake, 205 kcal) and SNAP-ineligible nonparticipants (6% total daily intake, 153 kcal). Among income-eligible adults, participating in SNAP is associated with 28.9 additional SSB calories, of which most were obtained from a store. From 2003-04 to 2009-10, SSB prevalence and caloric intake were flat among SNAP participants while it declined among both SNAP-eligible and SNAP-ineligible nonparticipants; this pattern held for all sources of SSBs except for those purchased from fast-food restaurants, which were not statistically reduced among nonparticipants.

Conclusions: SNAP participants consumed more SSB calories compared to SNAP-eligible nonparticipants; and their SSB prevalence and caloric intake trend was flat over the 2003-04 to 2009-10 period. SNAP-Education interventions that focus on improving access to healthy food in poor neighborhoods may benefit SNAP participants.