Patterns Of Food Security And Dietary Intake During The First Half Of The Child Tax Credit Expansion

Adams, Elizabeth L.; Brickhouse, Tegwyn H.; Dugger, Roddrick; Bean, Melanie K.

doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01864

Cited by 22 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“… 24 A study using the Department of Agriculture’s 18-item US Household Food Security Survey Module over the first 3 months of the eCTC also found a 7.1% decrease in the prevalence of families experiencing very low food security. 25 These earlier results are further supported by evidence that the majority of families used their monthly payments for basic household expenses like food, clothing, shelter, and utilities. 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 The present findings expand on this prior work by using quasi-experimental methods to study the consequences of the discontinuation of the monthly eCTC payments, which has not been previously reported.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“… 25 These earlier results are further supported by evidence that the majority of families used their monthly payments for basic household expenses like food, clothing, shelter, and utilities. 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 The present findings expand on this prior work by using quasi-experimental methods to study the consequences of the discontinuation of the monthly eCTC payments, which has not been previously reported. The increase in food insufficiency after the discontinuation of the monthly eCTC payments suggests that low-income families may have benefited from ongoing monthly eCTC payments even as the US entered a state of pandemic recovery.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

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Food Insufficiency Following Discontinuation of Monthly Child Tax Credit Payments Among Lower-Income US Households

et al. 2022

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ImportanceThe 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit provided advance monthly payments to many US families with children from July through December 2021 and was associated with a reduction in food insufficiency. Less is known about the effect of the discontinuation of monthly payments.ObjectiveTo assess whether the discontinuation of monthly Child Tax Credit payments was associated with subsequent changes in food insufficiency among lower-income US households with children.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis population-based cross-sectional study used data from the Household Pulse Survey, a recurring online survey of US households conducted by the US Census Bureau, from January 2021 to March 2022. This study estimated difference-in-differences regression models for households making less than $50 000, less than $35 000, and less than $25 000 annually, adjusting for demographic characteristics and state of residence. The estimation sample of households making less than $50 000/y included 114 705 responses, representing a weighted population size of 27 342 296 households.ExposuresReceipt of monthly Child Tax Credit payments, as measured by living in a household with children during the period of monthly payments from July through December 2021.Main Outcomes and MeasuresHousehold food insufficiency, as measured by a respondent indicating that there was sometimes or often not enough food to eat in the household in the previous 7 days.ResultsAmong 114 705 households making less than $50 000/y, respondents were predominantly female (57%); White (71%); not of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (79%); had high school or equivalent education (38%); and were unmarried (70%). Following the discontinuation of monthly Child Tax Credit payments, food insufficiency in US households with children increased by 3.5 percentage points (95% CI, 1.4-5.7 percentage points) among households making less than $50 000/y, 4.9 percentage points (95% CI, 2.6-7.3 percentage points) among households making less than $35 000/y, and 6.2 percentage points (95% CI, 3.3-9.3 percentage points) among households making less than $25 000/y. These estimates represent a relative increase in food insufficiency of approximately 16.7% among households making less than $50 000/y, 20.8% among households making less than $35 000/y, and 23.2% among households making less than $25 000/y.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this population-based cross-sectional study, discontinuation of monthly Child Tax Credit payments in December 2021 was associated with a statistically significant increase in household food insufficiency among lower-income households, with the greatest increase occurring in the lowest-income households.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Food Insufficiency Following Discontinuation of Monthly Child Tax Credit Payments Among Lower-Income US Households

et al. 2022

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“…National data show that parents report spending the monthly CTC payments on food, utilities, rent, clothing, and educational expenses. 12 A growing body of research [13][14][15][16] indicates that the advance CTC monthly payments were associated with reductions in the child poverty rate and financial hardship among households with children and with improved dietary quality for children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of the Expiration of Child Tax Credit Advance Payments With Food Insufficiency in US Households

et al. 2022

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ImportanceAdvance Child Tax Credit (CTC) monthly payments administered to more than 35 million households with children in the US between July and December 2021 were associated with a substantial decrease in food insufficiency. These monthly payments expired in January 2022 after Congress failed to extend the policy, and the subsequent impact on food insufficiency is currently unknown.ObjectiveTo assess whether the expiration of monthly CTC payments in January 2022 was associated with changes in food insufficiency in US households with children.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis study used repeated cross-sectional, nationally representative data from multiple waves of the Household Pulse Survey, conducted by the US Census Bureau. Online data collection occurred from July 21, 2021, to July 11, 2022, and data analysis was performed in July 2022.ExposuresThe first missed advance CTC payment on January 15, 2022.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe main outcome was unadjusted prevalence of household food insufficiency. Event study specification was used to estimate the association between the expiration of the CTC payments and household food insufficiency with the exposure of being in a household with children present.ResultsThe sample (592 044 respondents, representing households with and without children, for a weighted population size of 123 350 770 individuals) was majority female (362 286 individuals [51.3%]) and non-Hispanic White (425 497 individuals [62.2%]), and a plurality of respondents (248 828 [48.3%]) were aged 25 to 44 years at the time of the survey. During the survey wave just before CTC expiration (reference wave, December 29, 2021, to January 10, 2022), unadjusted household food insufficiency was 12.7% among households with children. In late January and early February 2022, following the first missed CTC monthly payment, 13.6% of households with children reported food insufficiency, increasing to 16.0% by late June and early July 2022. The event study specification estimated a 3.2 percentage point increase (95% CI, 1.4-5.0 percentage points; P &lt; .001) in food insufficiency by the most recent wave available after the first missed CTC payment (June 29 to July 11, 2022) among households with children compared with the reference wave, a 25% increase.Conclusions and RelevanceThe findings of this study suggest that there was an increase in food insufficiency among households with children after they stopped receiving monthly CTC payments. Given the well-documented associations between inability to afford food and poor health outcomes across the life span, Congress should consider swift action to reinstate this policy.

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“…12 In the state of Georgia-the focus of this study-more than 96% of children with a Social Security number in the tax year 2019 were claimed. 13 According to studies [14][15][16] using the US Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, these advanced CTC payments reduced financial hardship and food insecurity. Qualitative data suggest that households used these CTC payments to meet essential needs of a household, such as housing, utilities, food, and emergency funds, and to pay for expenses such as childcare and school-related materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments With Child Abuse and Neglect Emergency Department Visits

Bullinger

Boy

2023

JAMA Netw Open

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ImportancePoverty has long been associated with a higher risk for child maltreatment, and recent research suggests that income support policies are associated with reduced child abuse and neglect. However, income supports tied to employment cannot separate the associations of income from those of employment.ObjectiveTo estimate the short-term association of universal and unconditional income payments to parents with child abuse and neglect.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsIn this cross-sectional study, variation in the timing of the 2021 expanded child tax credit (CTC) advance payments was used to determine whether receiving unconditional income is associated with child abuse and neglect. A fixed-effects approach was used to compare child abuse and neglect before and after payments were made in 2021. The study compared 2021 trends with the same period in 2018 and 2019, during which no CTC payments were made. Participants were pediatric emergency department (ED) patients identified as experiencing child abuse or neglect at a level I pediatric hospital system in the Southeastern US from July through December 2021. Data were analyzed from July to August 2022.ExposuresTiming in the disbursement of the expanded CTC advance payments.Main Outcomes and MeasuresDaily child abuse and neglect-related ED visits.ResultsDuring the study period, there were 3169 ED visits related to child abuse or neglect. The 2021 advance payments of the expanded CTC were associated with fewer child abuse and neglect-related ED visits. There was a decrease in these ED visits in the 4 days following the advance CTC payments, although the reduction was not significant (point estimate, −0.22; 95% CI, −0.45 to 0.01; P = .06). There were significant reductions in such ED visits among male children (point estimate, −0.40; 95% CI, −0.75 to −0.06; P = .02) and non-Hispanic White children (point estimate, −0.69; 95% CI, −1.22 to −0.17; P = .01). These reductions did not persist, however.Conclusions and RelevanceThese findings suggest that federal income supports to parents are associated with immediate reductions in child abuse and neglect-related ED visits. These results are important for discussions of making the temporary expansion of the CTC permanent and are applicable to income support policies more broadly.

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Patterns Of Food Security And Dietary Intake During The First Half Of The Child Tax Credit Expansion

Cited by 22 publications

References 10 publications

Food Insufficiency Following Discontinuation of Monthly Child Tax Credit Payments Among Lower-Income US Households

Food Insufficiency Following Discontinuation of Monthly Child Tax Credit Payments Among Lower-Income US Households

Association of the Expiration of Child Tax Credit Advance Payments With Food Insufficiency in US Households

Association of Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments With Child Abuse and Neglect Emergency Department Visits

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