Abstract Objectives: Household stressors, such as food insecurity, contribute to the home emotional environment and negatively affect child development. Little research on this topic has been conducted among very young […]
Abstract Objectives: This study investigated the association between maternal pregravid body mass index (BMI) and breastfeeding discontinuation at 4–6 months postpartum in Hawaii and Puerto Rico participants from the Special […]
Abstract Background: Despite the important implications of childhood dietary intakes on lifelong eating habits and health, data are lacking on the diet quality of low-income infants and toddlers. Objective: The […]
Abstract Background: A recent report of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) outlined priority nutrients for infants and children participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for […]
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the author investigated whether older age-ineligible children are healthier in households where siblings are receiving WIC benefits. The results showed that age-ineligible males in WIC households had better health than those in non-WIC households.
This research explored the associations between childhood morbidities among income-eligible and categorically eligible WIC participant and non-WIC participant groups in a diverse, nationally representative sample of children. According to the results, no significant differences were noted between child WIC participants and non-WIC participants in the following areas: asthma, respiratory illness, severe gastrointestinal illness, or ear infection diagnosis.
This study evaluated risk factors associated with anemia and iron deficiency in a sample of children participating in or applying for WIC. The results revealed that current child WIC participation and maternal WIC participation during pregnancy were negatively associated with anemia and iron deficiency.
The researchers examines the relationship between WIC and Food Stamp Program participation on young children's health and mistreatment outcomes. Their analysis used a unique individual-level longitudinal database that linked administrative datasets on WIC and Food Stamp Program participation, Medicaid enrollment and claims, and child abuse and neglect reports in Illinois. Based on the findings, receiving WIC benefits and Food Stamps, jointly or alone, was associated with less child abuse and neglect; was inversely related to the incidence of health problems among low-income children; and was associated with lower risk of being diagnosed with anemia, failure to thrive, and other nutritional deficiencies. For several outcome measures, stronger associations were found among study participants enrolled in WIC.
This study investigated the differences between children ages 1 to 5 in the Texas WIC Program who had improved anemia statuses and those who did not. Non-improvers were more likely to be those children who were younger, who lived in families with four or more children, who ate fewer snacks, and who never ate dried fruits. More parents of non-improvers incorrectly believed that their child had improved.
This brief summarized two recent ERS-sponsored studies that provided new assessments of nutrient intakes of WIC children, income-eligible children not participating in the WIC Program, and children ineligible for WIC.
