The 2009 WIC Program Revisions: An Analysis of the Policy, Health Outcomes, and Costs
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- April 23, 2020
- Creator
-
Cuervo, Maria Catalina
- Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Public Health Leadership Program
- Abstract
- Objective: This paper evaluates the effect of the 2009 revisions to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages intended to increase access and consumption of a varied, healthy diet. Methods: This paper uses methodological triangulation to addresses whether the WIC program achieved its stated goals of improving access to healthy foods within the first year of implementing new food packages. I provide a synthesis of the current state of the field, a secondary analysis of a large nationally representative survey, and a limited review of economic evaluations of the WIC program. Results: The revisions to the WIC food packages in part reflect a political movement to respond to the growing obesity epidemic in the United States. A series of Congressional hearings followed by reports from the Government Accountability Office and the Institute of Medicine provide the groundwork for a change in WIC program policy. The review of recent studies of the effect of the food package changes suggests that implementation was successful, as stores succeeded in adjusting inventories to comply with new regulations and participants are, in general, eating a healthier diet compared to before the revisions. I conducted a pre-post analysis of NHANES data comparing food item availability, food security, and BMI among WIC participants, and found that even within one year after implementation, WIC participants were on average more likely to have access to healthy foods (fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk) after the food package revisions, than before. Food security also improved for children after the policy change, though within this short time frame no reduction in obesity was observed. My literature review of economic evaluations found few published articles addressing WIC program costs as they pertain to participant health and health care utilization. However, a review of government documents shows that researchers acknowledge the lack of cost outcomes, and provide guidelines for future research. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the WIC program has responded to growing national concern about nutrition and health, and has successfully adapted the program to respond to the higher prevalence of obesity, particularly among children. The policy changes implemented in 2009 are largely successful in reaching one of its stated goals - increasing access to a more varied and healthier diet for participants. I provide specific recommendations for future research emphasizing the importance of multi-state analyses and the inclusion of program and health care costs.
- Date of publication
- August 2014
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Paper type: Policy
- Track: HC&P
- Advisor
- Tolleson-Rinehart, Sue
- Reviewer
- Feltner, Cindy
- Degree
- Master of Public Health
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Graduation year
- 2014
- Language
- Deposit record
- 6fd7e555-1548-44c1-848e-c425381854a0
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