The study objective was to determine whether collocation of WIC clinics at managed care provider sites improved healthcare for infants enrolled in Medicaid and WIC. The findings revealed that compared with other infants, those who visited collocated WIC sites were either closer to their age-appropriate weight or had higher immunization rates when recertified by WIC staff after their first birthday.
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which NY Fit WIC, a childhood obesity prevention initiative, was adopted and implemented by the New York State WIC Program. All agencies carried out a variety of activities. The researchers suggested that given a very strong adoption of the program, an outcome evaluation was warranted, to help determine behavior change.
Researchers conducted a systematic review of literature on obesity prevention and other healthy eating and physical activity interventions targeted at children ages 0 to 5 years old. While there was variety in study design, most interventions were multifaceted and showed at least some level of effectiveness for obesity prevention behavior in this population.
As obesity has come to the forefront of public health concerns, there is growing interest in finding ways to guide consumers’ food choices to be more beneficial for their long-term health. About one in five Americans participates in at least one nutrition assistance program sponsored by the USDA. The researchers used behavioral economics, food marketing, and psychology to identify possible options for improving the diets and health of participants in the Food Stamp Program, the WIC Program, and the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.
The purpose of this study was to help determine material for developing a childhood obesity prevention program for multi-ethnic parents. researchers concluded that intervention components should focus on parent self-efficacy and incorporate themes specific for ethnic groups. The authors also suggested that there was a need for culturally sensitive health and nutrition information.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether greater nutrition knowledge or gains in knowledge promoted more successful weight loss in low-income overweight and obese mothers with young children. The findings revealed that participants with overall greater knowledge lost the most weight.
The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes, perceptions, and practices of WIC staff in Virginia, in educating WIC participants about topics related to childhood overweight. WIC staff reported a lack of comfort, practice, and confidence in addressing childhood overweight. researchers concluded that staff training, health promotion programs, and culturally relevant educational materials would help staff become knowledgeable and promote self-efficacy about childhood overweight-related topics.
This study investigated the associations between demographic, consumption, and activity variables and being overweight or at risk of becoming overweight for 2- to 4-year-olds enrolled in the WIC Program. The researchers found that 38% of the children were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. Furthermore, race and ethnicity, increased non-juice drink consumption, and low levels of physical activity were associated with being overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.
The purpose of the study was (1) to assess whether predictors of fat intake behavior were the same for normal-weight and obese WIC mothers, when applying the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model, and (2) to identify predictors for each group. researchers found that fat intake behavior differed between the normal-weight and the obese groups and that different messages were more likely to affect normal-weight or obese women. For example, obese women were more likely to be affected by information about the cost and accessibility of food and the time to prepare it.
The authors tested the effectiveness of a home visiting obesity prevention intervention in a population of Native-American preschool children. Height-for-weight measures and dietary intake showed that a home visiting program that teaches parents about parenting skills might be a promising obesity prevention intervention.
