Start Date: May 2009

ID #: 65852

Principal Investigator: Shannon Zenk, PhD

Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing

Funding Round: Rapid-Response Round 1

See more related research

Share


The U.S. Department of Agriculture will implement a ground-breaking new policy by October 1, 2009 that adds a cash-value voucher for fruits and vegetables to the food packages provided in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (also known as WIC). This provides a rare opportunity to assess the effect of a major change in food assistance policy with the potential to reach minority children who are at highest risk for obesity. Building on baseline data collected by the study investigators in summer 2008 on WIC vendor locations and fruit and vegetable characteristics, this study will add two additional waves of data collection: one pre-policy (summer 2009) and one post-policy (summer 2010). Aims of this study include comparing pre- and post-policy implementation for changes in WIC vendor participation, attributes, spatial accessibility and fruit and vegetable characteristics (availability, selection, quality, price). Investigators will specifically assess whether changes in spatial accessibility of WIC vendors and fruit and vegetable characteristics at WIC vendors differ by neighborhood attributes. In addition, investigators will determine factors perceived by WIC vendors that influence change in WIC participation and fruit and vegetable characteristics. This study will assess all WIC vendors and neighborhoods in a seven-county area in Northern Illinois.

Related Research

October 2013

Impact of the Revised Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Food Package Policy on Fruit and Vegetable Prices

In 2009, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was modified to align the WIC food packages with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. As part of the revisions, WIC added a fruit and vegetable (F/V) voucher to the food packages. This paper describes a quasi-experimental study that examined whether F/V More

October 2012

Fruit and Vegetable Availability and Selection: Federal Food Package Revisions, 2009

This article describes the results of a study that examined changes in fruit and vegetable (FV) availability and selection at Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) vendors before and after implementation of the 2009 revised WIC food packages in Illinois. Overall, availability and selection of commonly consumed fresh FV and availability More

September 2024

Online retail nudges to help parents with lower-income choose healthy beverages for their children: A randomized clinical trial

Nudges offer a promising tool to reduce sugary drink intake among children who are most at risk for diet-related disease. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of online store nudges on purchases of sugary drinks for children in lower-income households. Caregivers with lower-income were recruited to an online shopping experiment and More