Study finds that children drink fewer sugar-sweetened beverages the longer they are enrolled in WIC

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is the third-largest USDA nutrition assistance program, providing nutrition education and benefits for buying nutritious food for mothers and families with children up to age five with low income. One component of the required nutrition education is classes and individual dietary counseling to drink less sugar-sweetened beverages and more water. A new study suggests that the longer children participate in the program, the fewer sugar-sweetened beverages they consume. The study used data from over 11,500 WIC-participating families in Los Angeles County. The study was published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior by Christopher Anderson, Catherine Martinez and Shannon Whaley from Public Health Foundation Enterprises-WIC in collaboration with Keelia O'Malley from Tulane University and Lorrene Ritchie from the University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nutrition Policy Institute.