Using 2004-06 Nielsen Homescan data, the authors examines the prices of fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, and canned) in 26 metropolitan market areas to determine how price variations affected the voucher ;s purchasing power. The authors found that the 20 most commonly purchased fruits and vegetables cost 30% to 70% more in the highest-priced market areas than in the lowest. From these results, the authors inferred that WIC participants who lived in more expensive geographic areas might be able to purchase fewer fruits and vegetables than those who lived in areas where these items were cheaper.
The researchers examines the availability of food stores for low-income women in Kansas and investigated whether food store availability was associated with obesity, using data from women participating in the WIC Program in Kansas. Most WIC recipients lived within 1 mile of a small grocery store, and there was an association of density of any type of food store with obesity in micropolitan areas.
Abstract This study explored whether parents who purchase more fruit/vegetables have preschool-aged children who are able to identify fruit/vegetables and in turn are more likely to consume them. Sixty-two parent-child […]
This study found that combining point-of-purchase data with state data on the WIC Program was a feasible method to assess behavior changes in WIC participants. The major obstacle to using these data as a practical method of evaluating WIC participants; food-purchasing behaviors was the recruitment of enough stores to allow the inclusion of a representative sample of WIC participants.
In 1991 and 1998, FNS conducted national studies of WIC vendors to determine the extent of vendor violation of WIC Program rules. After the 1998 study, FNS issued regulations to correct vendor practices. The 2005 study replicated the 1998 study and had the following goals: (1) to determine whether the regulations were effective and (2) to measure the frequency of vendor violations and the degree to which vendors charged accurate prices for WIC transactions. It also provided data on payment error, as required by the Improper Payments Information Act (IPIA) of 2002 (P.L. 107-300).
To determine what effect WIC-only vendors ; growth would have on program expenditures, in the absence of recent cost-containment legislation, Congress asked Government Accountability Office the following questions: (1) What is known about WIC-only vendors ; growth and their share of the WIC market in recent years? (2) To what extent do WIC-only and regular WIC vendors differ? (3) What would WIC-only vendors ; contribution to WIC Program expenditures have been if their market share had increased? Government Accountability Office analyzed national WIC vendor data; interviewed WIC state officials about vendors ; business practices; and analyzed redemption data from California, Texas, and Florida.
This report presented a re-analysis of the data from the 1991 and 1998 WIC Vendor Management Practices studies, which allowed comparisons of the findings. From operational and management perspectives, it was important for FNS to know whether there had been any changes in vendor management practices from 1991 to 1998.
In this study, the authors tested the effectiveness of a subsidy for fruits and vegetables on the WIC Program. Women who enrolled for postpartum services (n = 602) at three WIC sites in Los Angeles were assigned to either an intervention (farmers market or supermarket, both with redeemable food vouchers) or a control condition (a minimal non-food incentive). Results indicated that intervention participants increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables and sustained the increase 6 months after the intervention was terminated.
This study investigated whether women who received supplemental financial support specifically for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables would exhibit high uptake of the supplement. The researchers also recorded what those individuals would choose to purchase. The authors concluded that women used the supplement provided almost fully and that they purchased a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables for their families. No particular barriers arose to redemption of the vouchers by either the participants or retail vendors.
This study examines the relationship among WIC participation, family stressors, and health risks. researchers found that participating in the WIC Program attenuated, but did not eliminate, child health risks associated with family stressors.
