The Impact of WIC Food Package Changes on Access to Healthful Food in 2 Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods

Published: May 2012

ID #: 66953

Journal: J Nutr Educ Behav

Authors: Hillier A, McLaughlin J, Cannuscio CC, Chilton M, Krasny S, Karpyn A

See more related research

Share

This article examines the impact of the 2009 food package changes for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on the availability of healthful foods in two lower-income urban neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Each year, WIC provides more than 9 million pregnant and breast-feeding women, infants, and children up to age five with food deemed essential to proper growth and development. Changes to the WIC food package included the addition of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, and a switch from whole milk to 2% milk for children over two years of age. Researchers found that the availability of healthful foods increased significantly in stores overall, with more substantial increases in WIC-authorized stores following changes to the WIC food package.

Read the Article

Age Groups: Adults and Families, Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)

Race/Ethnicity: African American or Black, Latino(a) or Hispanic, Multi-racial/ethnic

Keywords: Corner store, Fruits and vegetables, Geographic information systems, Grocery store, Neighborhood, Supermarket, Urban, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Focus Areas: Food Access, Nutrition Policy & Programs

Resource Type: Journal Article

State: Pennsylvania

Related Research

November 2009

Evaluating the Impact of WIC Voucher Changes on Low-Income Families and Neighborhoods

Major policy changes in WIC voucher provision for a wide range of healthy foods has the potential to impact the more than eight million U.S. families that receive WIC benefits as well as the food environment in low-income neighborhoods. In December 2008, investigators began conducting baseline research about the food choices that WIC participants make, More

May 2026

SNAP participation and the healthfulness of food purchased by households with children during the pandemic

Changes in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic included emergency benefit allotments and operation waivers. Using five expenditure-based measures of the nutritional quality of food purchases, we tested whether changes in SNAP during the first year of the pandemic were associated with better nutritional quality of food purchases More

May 2026

A Pediatric Perspective on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines

Clear, evidence-based guidance on what foods and beverages children and adolescents should consume—and in what amounts—is foundational for promoting healthy growth and preventing diet-related chronic disease across the life course. Yet many children and adolescents in the US continue to have diets of poor nutritional quality. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), issued every 5 More