Archived News

James Ziliak to Testify before U.S. House Subcommittee on Nutrition

Tomorrow, February 26, 2015 James Ziliak will testify before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Nutrition (under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Committee). The purpose of the hearing is to discuss changes in recent years in who receives food stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and why.  The crux of his testimony will come from the forthcoming book that James is co-editing, SNAP Matters: How Food Stamps Affect Health and Well Being (Stanford University Press). A live webcast and testimonies are available here.  

"Understanding the Relationships between SNAP, Food Security, and Health in the National Health Interview Survey"

The University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research (UKCPR), in cooperation with the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will competitively award grants to qualified individuals and institutions to provide rigorous research that utilizes data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in an effort to expand our understanding of the effects of (1) the interaction between adult mental and physical health and household food insecurity, (2) SNAP on the health of both family caretaker and children, and (3) food insecurity on health and the possible mediating role of SNAP.  It is anticipated that 4 grants of up to $75,000 each will be awarded.

• Date of RFP Announcement:  February 18, 2015
• Due Date for Requested Letter of Intent: March 18, 2015
• Due Date for Applications: April 29, 2015

UK Partners with Community-Based Programs Working to Improve Access to Healthy Food

UKCPR Director, James Ziliak, speaks about food insecurity in a recent UK Now news article.

Glimmer of Hope in the Fight Against Hunger in America

UKCPR Director, James Ziliak, comments on possible causes for the decline in food insecurity in America in NPR's The Salt. 

Will Promise Zone Initiative Lift Eastern Kentucky's Coal Country Out of Poverty?

James P. Ziliak appeared on national television over the weekend on PBS Newshour Weekend.

Ziliak was interviewed by producer/reporter Megan Thompson as part of a story about the new federal Promise Zone initiative in Kentucky. The Promise Zone initiative is aimed at fighting poverty by concentrating aid in specific regions of the U.S. The Promise Zone in Kentucky includes parts of eight counties in the southeast part of the state.

The work of Ziliak and other colleagues at UK has been featured in a number of national news publications and broadcast outlets in recent years, including the New York Times and National Public Radio (NPR).

PBS Newshour Weekend airs in Kentucky on KET2.

Brookings Event: Childhood Food Insecurity in the U.S.: Trends, Causes, and Policy Options

The new policy report by authors Craig Gundersen, University of Illinois, and James P. Ziliak, University of Kentucky, explain that while programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have proven successful in terms of in reducing food insecurity, applying for and receiving SNAP benefits may be difficult for parents. Likewise, school feeding programs are sometimes incomplete, exposing children to a host of health and cognitive issues.

What's the Matter With Eastern Kentucky

In a recent article in the New York Time Magazine, UKCPR Director James Ziliak discusses Eastern Kentucky's challenges in economic development.

"Rich parents get the biggest child care tax breaks" [via Vox.com]

In a recent article on Vox.com, UKCPR Director James P. Ziliak comments on his research regarding the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit.  Dr. Ziliak will be presenting this work at the Hamilton Project event, "Addressing America's Poverty Crisis" with President Bill Clinton as the keynote speaker.

Published report: "Supporting Low-Income Workers through Refundable Child-Care Credits" [external link]

FoodAPS Overview via USDA Economic Research Service

The University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research, in cooperation with the Economic Research Service and University of Illinois, is pleased to announce the awarding of 12 grants that utilize the new FoodAPS National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey. These grants will provide rigorous research that expands our understanding of household food behaviors and SNAP, as well as the role of the local food environment and other geographic factors on household food purchase and acquisition decisions. Funding for the FoodAPS Research Initiative is generously provided by a grant from the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"Five Percent of Americans Hover Just Above Poverty" [via Washington Post]

The Washington Post recently featured a new report on living in near poverty in the United States co-authored by former UKCPR Graduate Research Fellow Charles Hokayem of the U.S. Census Bureau.

"Living in Near Poverty in the United States: 1966-2012", U.S. Census Current Population Report