Food insecurity can be “broadly defined as limited access to adequate food” (Nguyen, Shuval, Bertmann, & Yaroch, 2015). While one might think that low-income people who don't know where their next meal is coming from would be thin or underweight, many of those who face food insecurity are instead obese. . This paradox could be due to the very programs implemented to combat food insecurity among low-income families. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal assistance program that gives money to households for food based on their income and needs. According to a study by the USDA, "SNAP participants were more likely than income-eligible and higher-income nonparticipants to be obese," with SNAP participants being 40% more likely to be obese ( 2015). The problem is that although SNAP provides resources to people experiencing food insecurity, the food provided is not nutritious and thus contributes to the high rates of obesity among SNAP participants. Health care costs and mortality are increasing as more people become obese. Preventing these problems by implementing nutrition education will improve the overall health of SNAP participants and reduce their healthcare costs. To determine the prevalence of food insecure households, “The food security supplement is administered to approximately 45,000 households each year as part of nutrition education. from the monthly survey representative of the current population conducted by the US Census Bureau. The supplement has been organized every year since 1995” (Health Indicators Warehouse, 2013). The survey was developed by the USDA in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and asks participants about their confidence...... middle of paper ...... education programs aim to help these families. The assistance program has been very beneficial for many households who do not know where their next meal will come from by providing them with resources to acquire food. However, many of these food insecure households face high rates of obesity that lead to a variety of other health problems. Research has shown that increased nutrition education through programs that teach people to read labels and balance their diets works and can reduce obesity rates. Low-income and minority households, the populations most affected by food insecurity and obesity, are particularly in need of nutrition education. By expanding nutrition education to households at highest risk of obesity, a public health initiative could reduce obesity levels among SNAP participants..