This webinar explained life course theory and identified immediate prevention opportunities for professionals who focus on family nutrition. The objectives were 1) to understand the five tenets of life course theory […]
While progress has been made in reducing infant mortality in the United States, it remains too high, especially for certain families. This session summarized the impact of nutrition on infant […]
The USDA Center for Collaborative Research on WIC Nutrition Education Innovations, funded by USDA FNS supports researcher-initiated projects that demonstrate creative approaches to nutrition education for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The Center has awarded 4 subgrants. Grantees will present their findings at a grantee conference in July 2016. Descriptions of the grants awarded are available on the web at: https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/sections-divisions-centers/childrens-nutrition-research-center/research/wic-nutrition-education.
Receipt of an unconditional prenatal income supplement was associated with positive outcomes. Placing conditions on income supplements may not be necessary to promote prenatal and perinatal health.
Many women exhibited postpartum risk factors for future adverse health events, including overweight or obesity (62.3%), depressive symptoms (27.5%), and no folic acid supplementation (65.5%). Most characteristics did not differ significantly between mothers of preterm infants and full-term infants or between mothers of low birth weight and normal birth weight infants.
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.
Differences in education levels between mothers affected infant mortality to a greater degree than WIC program participation alone in the analysis. The infant mortality rate for black and Hispanic mothers was lower for WIC program participants. The WIC program may be beneficial for reducing infant mortality racial disparities but program participation should be expanded to affect maternal health disparities at the population level
Our preferred estimates suggest that WIC initiation raised average birth weight by 2 g, or by 7 g among infants born to mothers with low education levels. These translate into estimated birth weight increases among participating mothers of approximately 18 to 29 g.
