Keyword: Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

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

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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

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

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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

WIC Fruit and Vegetable Study

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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

Supporting the Wake Forest School of Medicine in implementing a WIC referral program within electronic health records to optimize WIC participation

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The United States has an ongoing maternal and infant health crisis, characterized by stark disparities. The WIC program could equitably improve health outcomes, but it is underutilized. Identifying strategies for healthcare systems to efficiently connect pregnant patients with WIC is a public health and policy priority. This study will use the electronic health record (EHR) More

Assessing racial/ethnic coverage rates at the ZIP-code level for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children

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WIC can improve maternal and childhood health and nutrition, yet only 50% of people who qualify for WIC receive benefits, with racial disparities across states. Beyond state and national estimates, less is known about zip code-level racial/ethnic coverage rates or the factors influencing program reach. This study will be the first large-scale assessment of overall More

Determining whether length of participation in social safety-net programs is associated with diet quality and weight status for children 2 to 5

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Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC provide low-income children access to vital medical and nutrition services for long-term health and well-being. Despite these benefits, few studies have investigated if these safety net programs, or the synergistic combination of all three programs, are associated with diet quality and weight status; and none have focused on examining these longitudinal More

Understanding the Chasm in the Diffusion of Online Food Benefit Ordering: A Service Ecosystem Approach

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Although consumers used online grocery shopping more frequently to limit exposure to the COVID-19 virus during the pandemic, the participants of some federal nutrition assistance programs lacked the option to redeem their food benefits online. Some retailers were pilot-testing online food benefit ordering for the participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, More

Increased WIC Benefits for Fruits and Vegetables Increases Food Security and Satisfaction Among California Households with Young Children

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The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a critical source of nutrition support for young children in low-income families, providing access to healthy foods and a cash value benefit (CVB) for the purchase of fruits and vegetables (FV). In 2021, the WIC CVB increased substantially for women and children aged More

Applied Research Framework: A Guide to Creating Impactful WIC Research Projects and Collaborating with WIC Agencies

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The Applied Research Framework aims to help external researchers (e.g., academic or nonprofit researchers) plan, communicate, execute and disseminate research related to WIC. This framework provides a checklist to guide research projects, including advice for building relationships with WIC agencies, descriptions of publicly available WIC-related datasets, and more! WIC agencies may also use this framework More

Increased WIC Cash Value Benefit is Associated with Greater Amount and Diversity of Redeemed Fruits and Vegetables among Participating Households

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WIC food packages for children ages 1 to 4 include a cash value benefit (CVB) redeemable for fruits and vegetables (FVs) with participating vendors. The CVB value was increased beginning in June 2021. This study evaluated associations of the augmented CVB with the amount and diversity of redeemed FVs among a cohort of 1770 WIC-participating More