The purpose of this paper was to summarize evaluations of indicators of dietary risk that determine eligibility, nutrition education, and nutrition counseling within the WIC Program. The author suggested the use of statistical procedures to better understand error rates and misclassifications at the population and individual levels, followed by the development and incorporation of new, more accurate indicators.
Using a positive deviance methodology, this study identified the strategies that have helped some low-income pregnant women eat healthy diets. These included learning ; about how to eat balanced meals, having family support, being willing to prepare foods that were different from those of other family members, and eating at home more frequently.
This study determined the prevalence of inadequate and excessive intakes of zinc in preschool children. In general, American preschool children had excess dietary zinc intakes, and less than 1% of children had zinc intakes below the adequate intake or estimated average requirement.
The researchers identified the barriers to and motivators of behavior change for WIC families. Barriers included lack of parenting skills, lack of knowledge, unhealthy social environments, lack of time, and lack of social or financial support. The motivators included feelings of responsibility, concern for child health and development, and positive social support. Facilitated discussions, support groups, cooking classes, and a WIC website were participants; preferred methods of nutrition education.
The authors researched the development and randomized evaluation of a tailored nutrition education CD-ROM program for WIC Program participants in North Carolina. Their findings suggested that one session of an interactive CD-ROM program could impact mediators of dietary change, but it was insufficient to change behavior.
In this study, a written questionnaire was used to assess the opportunities and challenges of delivering; food safety education within WIC. The sample included directors and health professionals with nutrition counseling responsibilities in 79 WIC clinics in a midwestern state.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a single brief interactive experience of the Little by Little CD-ROM in increasing fruit and vegetable intake in low-income women. Two months after the intervention, participants who were in the intervention groups reported significantly higher fruit and vegetable intake than those in the control group.
This study evaluated the Maryland WIC Food for Life Program, a nutrition education intervention to improve healthy behaviors. Post Intervention, participants in the intervention group consumed a smaller percentage of calories from fat, more fruits and vegetables, and more fiber. There was also a dose-response relationship between the number of nutrition education sessions attended and the magnitude of change from baseline.
The objective of the study was to provide culturally appropriate nutrition education to improve the diets of Vietnamese women. Bicultural, bilingual Vietnamese-American nutrition education assistants taught five; to seven lessons in the Vietnamese language, using nutrition education materials written in Vietnamese. Over time, the dietary nutrient density of calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6, and potassium significantly improved in the intervention group, compared with the control group.
The goals of this study were (1) to examine the influence of prenatal nutrition on birth outcomes, (2) to describe research on the effects of macro- and micronutrients on birth outcomes, and (3) to discuss strategies for monitoring diet and implementing nutrition education during pregnancy.
