PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program use grows in 2011

13 percent of all households relied on former food stamps program

2013-01-15
(Press-News.org) DURHAM, N.H. – In 2011, 13 percent of all American households relied on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- the program formerly known as food stamps – with nearly 6.2 million more American households using the program now than five years ago, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.

"The Great Recession had profound effects on families across the United States, and economic recovery has been slow. Poverty and unemployment remained high in 2011, and job growth was stagnant. Amid these signs of a sluggish recovery, social safety net programs have played a key role in supporting vulnerable families," the Carsey researchers said.

The new research is presented in the Carsey Institute brief "Recent Data Show Continued Growth in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Use." The research was conducted by Jessica Carson, vulnerable families research scientist at the Carsey Institute, and William Meub, vulnerable families research associate at the Carsey Institute.

According to the Food Research and Action Center, SNAP has remained particularly important for providing families and children with nutritious foods and alleviating poverty. If SNAP benefits were counted as income, 4.4 percent fewer families would have been considered poor between 2000 and 2009.

Despite the U.S. Census Bureau's September announcement that poverty stabilized in 2011, SNAP receipt rose nationwide, and remained important for potentially vulnerable families. For example, more than three-quarters of households receiving SNAP contained at least one worker, and more than half of rural single mothers reported receipt in 2011.

The key findings are as follows:

In 2011, 13 percent of all households reported receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This represents an increase from 7.7 percent in 2007, reflecting both changes in need and policy.

The highest rate of SNAP receipt was in central cities (16 percent), closely followed by rural areas (15.6 percent).

Between 2010 and 2011, SNAP receipt increased at a similar pace (by roughly 1 percentage point) in every region and in every place type (rural areas, suburbs, and central cities). Northeastern central cities realized the largest increases since 2007, resulting in the highest rate of SNAP receipt (21.5 percent) of any area by 2011.

Single mothers had the highest rate of SNAP receipt, substantially higher than single fathers' rates and three to four times as high as rates among married couples with children.

"SNAP is increasingly the target of congressional budget cuts, despite the large number of Americans who rely on the program. Although budget cuts are imminent, policymakers should consider what such cuts would mean to families, including seniors, single parents, the poor, and those with disabilities, who rely on SNAP to meet their nutritional needs," the researchers said.

### The complete Carsey Institute report about this research is available at http://carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publication/668.

This analysis is based on U.S. Census Bureau estimates from the 2007, 2010, and 2011 American Community Survey. Estimates were produced by aggregating information from detailed tables available on American FactFinder.

The Carsey Institute conducts policy research on vulnerable children, youth, and families and on sustainable community development. The institute gives policy makers and practitioners the timely, independent resources they need to effect change in their communities. For more information about the Carsey Institute, go to www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

GRAPHIC

Percent of households reporting SNAP receipt, by place type Source: Carsey Institute at UNH

-30- END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Researchers identify genetic mutation for rare cancer

Researchers identify genetic mutation for rare cancer
2013-01-15
By looking at the entire DNA from this one patient's tumor, researchers have found a genetic anomaly that provides an important clue to improving how this cancer is diagnosed and treated. Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center sequenced the tumor's genome through a new program called MI-ONCOSEQ, which is designed to identify genetic mutations in tumors that might be targeted with new therapies being tested in clinical trials. The sequencing also allows researchers to find new mutations. In this case, an unusual occurrence of two genes ...

A quantum leap in gene therapy of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A quantum leap in gene therapy of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
2013-01-15
COLUMBIA, Mo.-- Usually, results from a new study help scientists inch their way toward an answer whether they are battling a health problem or are on the verge of a technological breakthrough. Once in a while, those results give them a giant leap forward. In a preliminary study in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), University of Missouri scientists showed exactly such a leap using gene therapy to treat muscular dystrophy. The results of the study will be published in the journal Molecular Therapy on Jan. 15, 2013. Muscular dystrophy occurs when damaged ...

New path discovered for future generation of glucose-measuring biosensors

2013-01-15
CIC bioGUNE researchers have opened a new pathway for the future development of biosensors that enable measuring the glucose in the blood, but which are also believed to be more reliable with other fluids, such as urine. To this end, a complex scientific process has been developed which has called into question a dominant paradigm amongst the scientific community with respect to the mechanisms of binding and communication between proteins. The mechanisms of communication at subcellular level are based on the interaction between proteins or between proteins and metabolites ...

Plumber and spray painter high-risk occupations for asthma

2013-01-15
Despite known risks and recommendations for protective equipment, many people are still affected with asthma after exposure to chemicals at work. This is the finding of an international study of 13,000 people carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Asthma is among the most common adult diseases in the world. Despite the fact that the risks of chemical exposure have long been known and that there are well-established recommendations for handling chemicals and protective equipment, many cases of asthma are still caused by exposure to toxic ...

How the protein transport machinery in the chloroplasts of higher plants developed

2013-01-15
Halfway between bacteria and tree How the protein transport machinery in the chloroplasts of higher plants developed Moss Physcomitrella patens is an evolutionary intermediate stage Together with colleagues from Sweden, RUB researchers have studied how the protein transport system of bacteria developed over time to form the system in the chloroplasts of higher plants. They explored the so-called signal recognition particles (SRP) and their receptors. Bioinformatic and biochemical analyses revealed that the moss Physcomitrella patens has evolutionarily old and new components ...

Designer bacteria may lead to better vaccines

Designer bacteria may lead to better vaccines
2013-01-15
AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a menu of 61 new strains of genetically engineered bacteria that may improve the efficacy of vaccines for diseases such as flu, pertussis, cholera and HPV. The strains of E. coli, which were described in a paper published this month in the journal PNAS, are part of a new class of biological "adjuvants" that is poised to transform vaccine design. Adjuvants are substances added to vaccines to boost the human immune response. "For 70 years the only adjuvants being used were aluminum salts," ...

Chemistry resolves toxic concerns about carbon nanotubes

2013-01-15
Safety fears about carbon nanotubes, due to their structural similarity to asbestos, have been alleviated following research showing that reducing their length removes their toxic properties. In a new study, published today in the journal Angewandte Chemie, evidence is provided that the asbestos-like reactivity and pathogenicity reported for long, pristine nanotubes can be completely alleviated if their surface is modified and their effective length is reduced as a result of chemical treatment. First atomically described in the 1990s, carbon nanotubes are sheets of ...

Born to lead? Leadership can be an inherited trait, study finds

2013-01-15
Genetic differences are significantly associated with the likelihood that people take on managerial responsibilities, according to new research from UCL (University College London). The study, published online in Leadership Quarterly, is the first to identify a specific DNA sequence associated with the tendency for individuals to occupy a leadership position. Using a large twin sample, the international research team, which included academics from Harvard, NYU, and the University of California, estimate that a quarter of the observed variation in leadership behaviour ...

Neon lights up exploding stars

2013-01-15
An international team of nuclear astrophysicists has shed new light on the explosive stellar events known as novae. These dramatic explosions are driven by nuclear processes and make previously unseen stars visible for a short time. The team of scientists measured the nuclear structure of the radioactive neon produced through this process in unprecedented detail. Their findings, reported in the US journal Physical Review Letters, show there is much less uncertainty in how quickly one of the key nuclear reactions will occur as well as in the final abundance of radioactive ...

New research gives insight into graphene grain boundaries

New research gives insight into graphene grain boundaries
2013-01-15
Using graphene – either as an alternative to, or most likely as a complementary material with – silicon, offers the promise of much faster future electronics, along with several other advantages over the commonly used semiconductor. However, creating the one-atom thick sheets of carbon known as graphene in a way that could be easily integrated into mass production methods has proven difficult. When graphene is grown, lattices of the carbon grains are formed randomly, linked together at different angles of orientation in a hexagonal network. However, when those orientations ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

Targeting FGFR2 may prevent or delay some KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancers

[Press-News.org] Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program use grows in 2011
13 percent of all households relied on former food stamps program