Abstract
Background
Little is known about duration of exposure to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program
for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in relation to children’s diet quality.
Objective
The objective of the study was to examine the association between duration of WIC
participation and diet quality of 24-month-old children.
Design
A national longitudinal observational study was conducted with participants initially
enrolled in WIC in 2013. Telephone interviews were conducted with study mothers from
2013 to 2016. Duration of WIC participation was categorized as high, medium, or low
based on the number of interviews during which participants reported receiving WIC
benefits.
Participants
Participants in the WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study 2 who had completed
a baseline interview and all interviews through 24 months were included; participants
who reported discontinuing WIC due to perceived program ineligibility were excluded
from analyses (N=1,250). Data were weighted to represent the study-eligible population.
Main outcome measure
Healthy Eating Index 2015 scores of children at age 24 months were calculated based
on 24-hour dietary recalls.
Statistical analyses performed
Unadjusted analysis of variance examined Healthy Eating Index 2015 scores by WIC participation
duration. Multivariate linear regression analysis tested independent effects of WIC
duration on Healthy Eating Index 2015 total scores, controlling for sociodemographic
factors.
Results
After controlling for covariates, WIC participation duration was significantly associated
with diet quality. Children in the high duration group had significantly higher Healthy
Eating Index 2015 total scores (adjusted mean 59.3, 95% CI 58.6 to 60.1) than children
in the low duration group (adjusted mean 55.3, 95% CI 51.6 to 59.0) (P=0.035).
Conclusions
Children who received WIC benefits during most of the first 2 years of life had better
diet quality at age 24 months than children who, despite remaining eligible for benefits,
discontinued WIC benefits during infancy. Findings suggest nutritional benefits for
eligible children who stay in the program longer.
Keywords
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Biography
N. S. Weinfield is a research scientist, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic Permanente Research Institute, Rockville, MD; at the time of the study, she was a senior study director, Westat, Rockville, MD.
Biography
C. Borger is a senior study director, Westat, Rockville, MD.
Biography
L. E. Au is an assistant researcher, Nutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley.
Biography
L. D. Ritchie is director and cooperative extension specialist, Nutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley.
Biography
S. E. Whaley is director of research and evaluation, Public Health Foundation Enterprises WIC Program, Irwindale, CA.
Biography
D. Berman is branch chief, Special Nutrition Evaluation Branch, Office of Policy Support, US Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, Alexandria, VA.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 14, 2020
Accepted:
December 16,
2019
Received:
June 21,
2019
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT Data were drawn from the WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2, a federal study conducted under the direction of the Office of Policy Support in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (contract AG-3198-B-11-0020). The findings and conclusions in this publication are those of the authors and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or US Government determination or policy.
Identification
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© 2020 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
