Detailed Objective: This study will assess whether the effects of growing up in food stamp households are felt into adulthood. Longitudinal data from the 1968-2005 years of the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics (PSID) will be used to see if receiving food stamps during childhood affects adult outcomes, such as Body Mass Index (BMI), food insecurity, health, physical activity levels, and economic outcomes (including income, poverty, work hours, and transfer income receipt).
The study also will examine the relationship between receiving food stamps during childhood and adult outcomes in terms of neighborhood characteristics during childhood to determine whether food stamp receipt is less advantageous for children living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods.
This study will use two different approaches for minimizing the potential effects of selection bias (instrumental variables and sibling fixed-effects models) and compare the results of these estimating techniques with results of simpler techniques that cannot adjust for potential selection bias. The comparisons will improve our understanding of the nature and magnitude of selection bias in conducting food stamp research.