Journal Article

Impact of Policy Changes on Overweight Rates Among Low-Income Children Participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

By Whaley S, Koleilat M, Whaley M, Gomez J, Meehan K, Saluja K

Objective: This study assesses the impact of the new Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food package, implemented in October 2009, on overweight rates among children enrolled in WIC in Southern California.

Methods: Data from 5 years before the introduction of the new food packages through 4 years after were analyzed using SAS 9.3. A Chi-square test was employed to compare rates of overweight among 3- to 4-year-old children before and after the introduction of the new food package.

Results: Participants were mostly Hispanic. A small but significant decrease in the rates of overweight was found. Overweight rates decreased from 17.1% before the introduction of the new food package to 16.6% after the introduction of the new food package (p <.0001).

Conclusion: With at least half of the infants born in the US receiving WIC services at one point in their lives and abundant evidence suggesting that obesity disproportionately affects children served by this program, the recent changes to the food package could very well be a vital tool in the nation’s fight against obesity.

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Date Added
November 15, 2017

Citation
Whaley S, Koleilat M, Whaley M, Gomez J, Meehan K, Saluja K (2014) 'Impact of Policy Changes on Overweight Rates Among Low-Income Children Participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)'. American Journal Of Public Health, 102, 12, pp. 2269-2273. Available online: https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300770