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Abstract
According to the CDC, diabetes affects over 30 million Americans. Because diabetes is closely linked to diet and food consumption patterns, there are possible significant effects on diabetes incidence from U.S. nutrition policies. In this paper, we use data from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to investigate the link. We apply a household health production theoretical model. We then use variations in state SNAP policies as instrumental variables to account for the endogeneity of SNAP participation and diabetes incidence. We find no significant effect of SNAP participation on demand for diabetic health.