Concerns and Structural Barriers Associated with WIC Participation among WIC-Eligible Women

Evaluating WIC.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has enjoyed extraordinary bipartisan support stemming from the widespread belief that research studies have proven that WIC "works." Although some studies suggest real dietary and health improvements, the greatest benefits only apply to WIC's prenatal program (just a small part of the total program). Even here, we...

WIC Participation and the Initiation and Duration of Breastfeeding

This study measured the effect of participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) after the birth of a child on one important health behavior: the initiation and persistence of breastfeeding. In the United States, many low-income mothers do not initiate breastfeeding at all and very few breastfeed for at least 4 months, although most pediatricians reco...

WIC participation and the Nutrient Intake of Preschoolers

Early childhood WIC participation, cognitive development and academic achievement.

For the 22% of American children who live below the federal poverty line, and the additional 23% who live below twice that level, nutritional policy is part of the safety net against hunger and its negative effects on children's development. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides steadily available food from the food groups essential for physic...

Interpreting the WIC debate.

Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 24, No. 4, 691–701 (2005) © 2005 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/pam.20133 The editors of JPAM have asked us to help readers make sense of the competing claims about the efficacy of the Special Suppleme...