WIC Research, Policy and Practice Hub WIC Research, Policy and Practice Hub

Geography: Louisiana

Former WIC participant, Louisiana

“The healthy foods I ate as a WIC baby helped me grow into a healthy young woman. I believe in eating healthy and I exercise regularly. I currently work in […]

Louisiana State WIC Page

The Louisiana State WIC Page includes main contacts, State WIC profiles, and state-specific resources and links.

Louisiana WIC Formulary

An official list of approved WIC formulas from the Louisiana Office of Public Health WIC.

Psychosocial Predictors of Being an Underweight Infant Differ by Racial Group: A Prospective Study of Louisiana WIC Program Participants

The researchers identified psychosocial predictors of having low-birth weight infants among mothers enrolled in the Louisiana WIC Program. Among blacks, mothers with an eighth grade education or less had the highest risk of having underweight infants. Among whites, those who initiated prenatal care in the third trimester were most likely to have underweight infants.

Exploring the Concept of Positive Deviance Related to Breastfeeding Initiation in Black and White WIC Enrolled First Time Mothers

This study explored the characteristics of positive deviants for breastfeeding among WIC-enrolled first-time mothers in Louisiana. researchers found that breastfeeding in the hospital after delivery and having received help with how to breastfeed in the hospital were significantly associated with breastfeeding initiation in white and black mothers. They also found that the black positive deviants were more likely to have initiated breastfeeding if their baby was low birth weight.

Factors that Influence Breastfeeding Decisions among Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Participants from Central Louisiana

This study investigated factors that impacted the decision to breastfeed and looked at the effect of formula provided by WIC on breastfeeding initiation and duration among WIC participants in a rural parish in central Louisiana. Participants felt that the incentives provided to encourage breastfeeding did not affect their decisions to breastfeed. The majority (96%) of the participants in this study indicated that WIC provide effective and clear education about the benefits of breastfeeding and that this advice influenced their decision to breastfeed their children.