Some programs and policies have failed to show consistent results. But the good news is that others are quite effective at improving early childhood health. The most successful include the (WIC), universal immunization, and high-quality, center-based early childhood care and education. Economic analyses reveal that these programs' benefits outweigh their costs, suggesting that public spending to support them is more than justified.
Results show that early WIC participation is associated with both cognitive and academic benefits. These findings suggest that WIC meaningfully contributes to children's educational prospects
Low vegetable consumption and limited variety were also seen among WIC participants and non-participants aged 6 months to 4 years prior to changes in the WIC food package. Increasing children's consumption of all vegetables should continue to be a focus going forward.
Barriers include biological and behavioral issues relating to infant and child development, household- and family-related barriers, obstacles in the larger community, economic limitations, and some government policies and programs. These barriers must be removed to encourage children to eat more vegetables.
Data indicate that children with high food insecurity consumed fewer vegetables, and that physical activity is significantly related to fruit and vegetable intake.
Food insecurity and SNAP/WIC participation were not associated with meeting recommendations, but those reporting ≥ 1 chronic disease were more likely to meet SSB recommendations. Odds of achieving SSB but not water recommendations were greater among individuals with a chronic disease.
Those who received the nutrition education had a higher voucher recommendation and higher knowledge of farmers market FNV options.
Findings from 10 focus groups with 25 WIC staff and 29 clients suggested that existing materials were time-consuming and unresponsive to client needs, and additional resources were needed to engage children while parents were in session; new delivery formats for nutrition education, including videos and interactive demonstrations focused on child-friendly preparations of WIC foods, were preferred.
The Perinatal Food Group Recall (PFGR) form among Comprehensive Perinatal Health Workers (CPHWs) serving low-income pregnant and postpartum mothers, can facilitate the provision of nutrition counseling among low-income mothers and build capacity among community health workers.
Overall, this study demonstrates that both in-person and online nutrition education were effective in increasing breakfast-related knowledge in WIC participants, reducing breakfast skipping, and improving other breakfast-related behaviors, showing the potential usefulness for online education modalities for future WIC services
