Implementing and evaluating the impact for children from birth to age 5 of expanding the Cash-Value Benefit for the purchase of fruits and vegetables

Start Date: February 2020

ID #: 86852

Principal Investigator: Shannon E Whaley, PhD

Organization: Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Inc., dba Heluna Health

Funding Round: HER Round 12

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The $9/month Cash Value Benefit (CVB) provided by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is only enough to purchase less than one-quarter of a child’s daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables. The primary aim of this project is to implement and evaluate an expansion of the monthly Cash Value Benefit (CVB) for the purchase of fruits and vegetables (FV) in children ages 1-5 years served by WIC. We hypothesize that increasing the WIC CVB from $9 to $23 per month for a 1-year period will significantly increase: (1) access to FV, as measured by CVB redemption; (2) daily intake of FV; (3) food security; and (4) ongoing WIC participation. The quasi-experimental intervention will be conducted at two WIC agencies in California. The secondary aim is to inform policy and advocacy work to expand FV access and intakes by all WIC children in the U.S.

State: California

Focus Areas: Early Childhood, Nutrition Policy & Programs

Keywords: Fruits and vegetables, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Resource Type: Grant Summary

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

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