Impacts of Increased Cash-Value Benefit on Inter Tribal Council of Arizona WIC Participants’ Program Utilization and Weight Outcomes

Start Date: June 2023

ID #: 283-5111

Principal Investigator: Punam Ohri-Vachaspati, PhD, RDN

Co-Principal Investigator: Emily Melnick, PhD, MPH

Organization: Arizona State University

Funding Round: ARPA2

See more related research

Share

Systematic evaluations based on objective measures and longitudinal data are needed to demonstrate long-term impacts of the WIC fruit and vegetable cash value benefit (CVB) increases instituted in March 2021, especially among populations disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing high rates of food insecurity and barriers to WIC participation. This study will assess the impacts of increased CVBs on Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) WIC program participant outcomes by examining associations between increased CVBs and participant benefit redemption and engagement, exploring how the increase in CVBs impacted the prevalence of obesity among child participants, and assessing how increased CVBs changed the delivery of nutrition education messages and ITCA WIC participant perceptions of the program.

Race/Ethnicity: American Indian, Latino(a) or Hispanic

States: Arizona, Tribal Nation

Keywords: COVID-19, Equity and disparities, Fruits and vegetables, Healthy weight, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Focus Area: Nutrition Policy & Programs

Age Groups: Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)

Related Research

April 2024

Mixed methods evaluation of the COVID-19 changes to the WIC cash-value benefit for fruits and vegetables

Recent cash-value benefit (CVB) increases are a positive development to help increase WIC participant fruits and vegetables (FV) access. This mixed method study aimed to evaluate (a) the CVB changes’ impact on FV access among WIC child participants measured by CVB redemption rates, (b) facilitators and barriers to CVB changes’ implementation, and (c) differences in More

March 2024

Associations of Increased WIC Benefits for Fruits and Vegetables With Food Security and Satisfaction by Race and Ethnicity

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutrition support for racially and ethnically diverse populations. In 2021, the monthly cash value benefit (CVB) for the purchase of fruits and vegetables increased from $9 to $35 and was later adjusted to $24. This study investigated, by racial and ethnic groups, whether More

January 2024

WIC Fruit and Vegetable Study

The Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition was funded by Healthy Eating Research to conduct a study exploring how the policy changes in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) cash value benefit (CVB), or fruit and vegetable money, during the pandemic impacted the WIC program and child access to fruits and More