African American

Engagement and Participation of African Americans in California WIC: Recommendations from the Ask the Community First Task Force

Report on status of, barriers to, and opportunities for improvements of engagement of African Americans as participants and staff in California WIC.

East St. Louis Making Health Happen

East St. Louis Health Department created this poster to highlight their initiatives with local corner stores, including improving access to fresh produce, marketing healthy messages, and hosting cooking. demonstrations. This […]

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

WIC-eligible women with unintended pregnancies and fewer social supports tend to participate in WIC, but those who experience more structural barriers are less likely to participate. Asian/Pacific Islander women may face specific challenges to WIC participation.

Breastfeeding Outcomes in Washington State: Determining the Effect of Loving Support Peer Counseling Program and Characteristics of Participants at WIC

The peer support counseling intervention improved breastfeeding duation and initation in the two trial clinics in Washington State. "The likelihood that women enrolled in WIC would initiate BF at Public Health Seattle and King County Clinics increased by 3%, whereas those in Catholic Health Initatives Franciscan Medical Group clinics increased by 6.8%. Women receiving services in smaller PHSKC clinics (n < 60 women) were likely to breastfeed their infants at >1 week."

Retaining Traditionally Hard to Reach Participants: Lessons Learned from Three Childhood Obesity Studies

Diet quality was assessed among participants in the WIC program across three time points following the WIC food package shift instituted nationally in 2009. Retention rates were 91% at 12 months and 89% at 18 months. For our WIC study, we augmented retention by developing a home data collection protocol and increased focus on staff diversity training.

A Smartphone App for Families With Preschool-Aged Children in a Public Nutrition Program: Prototype Development and Beta-Testing

CHEW, a smartphone app provides shopping tools, including barcode scanners and calculators to maximize the WIC benefit redemption rate. Testing found that the app was successful with WIC mothers with moderate levels of app usage.

Fruit and Vegetable Availability and Selection: Federal Food Package Revisions, 2009

Overall, availability and selection of commonly consumed fresh FV and availability of African-American culturally specific fresh FV improved after implementation of the new policy. Modest improvements in the overall availability of canned low-sodium vegetables and frozen FV were observed.

Rural Versus Urban Texas WIC Participants’ Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Among children, differences were found for fruit consumption but not vegetable. Urban children were offered and consumed a greater variety of F&V. Mothers' F&V intake was related to age, pregnancy status, and breastfeeding status.

WIC Participation and Attenuation of Stress-Related Child Health Risks of Household Food Insecurity and Caregiver Depressive Symptoms

As stressors increased, child health risks increased. WIC participation attenuates but does not eliminate child health risks.

“Whatever Average Is”: Understanding African American Mothers’ Perceptions of Infant Weight, Growth, and Health

These findings suggest that mothers use multiple models to interpret and respond to child weight. An anthropological focus on the complex social and structural factors shaping what is considered "normal" and "abnormal" infant weight is critical for shaping appropriate and successful interventions.