New study shows longer participation in WIC is associated with higher diet quality and improved food security in children

The federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides supplemental healthy foods, health care and social service referrals, breastfeeding support, and nutrition education for pregnant and postpartum women and children up to age five in families with low income. A new study in The Journal of Nutrition suggests that longer participation in the WIC program by children is associated with higher diet quality, decreased household food insecurity, and, unexpectedly, increased odds of obesity. Researchers used longitudinal data collected from a national cohort of over 800 children enrolled in WIC in 2013. These results show the importance of improving child retention on the WIC program to better support their nutrition security. The study was conducted by Christopher Anderson, Catherine Martinez, and Shannon Whaley of Public Health Foundation Enterprises WIC, Lorrene Ritchie of the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Courtney Paolicelli and Amanda Reat of the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, and Christine Borger of Westat. The study was funded through contract number AG-3198-K-15-0050 with the USDA. These findings and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed to represent official USDA or US Government determination or policy.