This biennial census provides detailed information on the demographic characteristics, economic circumstances and health conditions of WIC clients, along with information on the operational characteristics of State and local WIC agencies. The data are used for policy development, budget projections and regulatory impact analyses. Information about WIC participation characteristics has been prepared biennially since 1992 from administrative records provided by State agencies.
In a joint project with the USDA Economic Research Service, CARRA has been integrating data from state government agencies with existing Census Bureau data to evaluate and enhance public assistance programs. In 2014, CARRA and the National WIC Association began discussions to conduct similar research for state WIC agencies. By linking WIC administrative records with individual-level data from the American Community Survey, CARRA is able to identify the population in a state that is modeled as eligible for WIC benefits, those who participate in the program, and individuals who are modeled as eligible but do not participate. This project aims to provide state WIC agencies with trends over time and rates of eligibility, participation, and non-participation by various demographic and economic characteristics that can be used to improve state outreach efforts and maximize program efficiency.
Approximately every ten years, FNS conducts a nationally-representative survey of the characteristics of WIC participants and State and local agencies. The NSWP Series provides USDA with national estimates of certification- related errors and improper payments for use in USDA’s required reporting under the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 (IPERA). The NSWP series also collects information on State and local WIC Agencies’ certification-related policies and operations in order to better understand both the policies and their potential associations with error, provides statistical sample-based estimates of the size and characteristics of LWAs nationwide, and provides information from a nationally-representative sample of WIC participants about their experiences with the WIC program. The last study collected data in 2009 and was published in 2012. The next study in the series was awarded in September 2015. Data collection is anticipated to begin in 2017.
FNS awards WIC Special Project Grants to be used for "special State projects of regional or national significance to improve the services of the program." In order to meet the statutory objectives, Special Projects need to address issues of critical and timely importance to the WIC program.
This study is designed to provide information that will allow FNS to update WIC data reporting efforts in order to provide information to support more in-depth analyses of program management, program performance, program & participant characteristics, integrity and monitoring.
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.
The first WIC Medicaid Study, published in 1991, found that every dollar spent on WIC services to low-income pregnant women saved $1.77 to $3.13 in Med- icaid cost during the first 60 days following delivery. This study will reexamine the impacts of WIC in today’s environment. It will examine the characteristics of Medicaid births and estimate the impact of WIC on the following prenatal and birth outcomes: 1) maternal health behaviors (prenatal care adequacy, smoking, weight gain), 2) birth outcomes (birth weight, gestational age, type of delivery, breastfeeding at discharge), 3) maternal risk factors (such as gestational diabetes and hypertension), and 4) Medicaid costs (delivery and newborn costs through 60 days and one year postpartum). Building on work conducted in North Carolina, the study will also examine health utilization and outcomes for children participating in WIC.
The WIC NSA Cost Study will provide an updated assessment of the amounts and categories of costs charged to WIC NSA grants and the variation of these costs among State and local agencies. This study will conduct a census of State and local agencies and include 14 case studies to gain a more detailed assessment of NSA cost categories compared to other similar federal programs such as SNAP and TANF.
This biennial census provides detailed information on the demographic characteristics, economic circumstances and health conditions of WIC clients, along with information on the operational characteristics of State and local WIC agencies. The data are used for policy development, budget projections and regulatory impact analyses. Information about WIC participation characteristics has been prepared biennially since 1992 from administrative records provided by State agencies.
