TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Da, Linlin
AU  - Jin, Zhezheng
AU  - Xu, Qianhui
AU  - Renzi-Hammond, Lisa M.
AU  - Chen, Zhuo
AU  - Khan, M. Mahmud
AU  - Rajbhandari-Thapa, Janani
AU  - Chen, Xi
AU  - Wu, Bei
AU  - Song, Suhang
        TI  - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation and Cognitive Decline Among Older Americans
        PY  - 2025/Oct/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18150
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp18150
        AB  - This study examines how SNAP participation may affect age-related cognitive decline among cognitively intact older adults over 10 years. Leveraging a longitudinal survey of SNAP-eligible participants in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) collected biennially from 2010 to 2020, we estimate the relationship between SNAP participation and cognitive decline across different population groups. We show that SNAP participation is associated with a slower cognitive decline in global cognition, memory, and executive function. A significant three?way interaction among SNAP participation, race/ethnicity, and time indicates faster decline in global cognition among Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic SNAP users. Our findings suggest that SNAP participation may help slow age-related cognitive decline. However, the benefits of SNAP vary across different population groups. Policies promoting equitable access to SNAP benefits have significant potential to improve cognitive health across diverse populations.
        KW  - longitudinal study
KW  - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
KW  - cognitive decline
KW  - disparity
        ER  -