WIC saves lives and improves the health of nutritionally at-risk women, infants and children. The results of studies conducted by FNS and other nongovernment entities prove that WIC is one of the nation’s most successful and cost-effective nutrition intervention programs.
Since its beginning in 1974, the WIC Program has earned the reputation of being one of the most successful Federally-funded nutrition programs in the United States. Collective findings of studies, reviews and reports demonstrate that the WIC Program is cost effective in protecting or improving the health/nutritional status of low-income women, infants and children.
The following highlights some of the findings (pertinent references are provided).
Improved Birth Outcomes and Savings in Health Care Costs
- longer pregnancies;
- fewer premature births;
- lower incidence of moderately low and very low birth weight infants;
- fewer infant deaths;
- a greater likelihood of receiving prenatal care; and
- savings in health care costs from $1.77 to $3.13 within the first 60 days after birth.
Improved Diet and Diet-Related Outcomes
- higher mean intakes of iron, vitamin C, thiamin, niacin and vitamin B6, without an increase in food energy intake, indicating an increase in the nutrient density of the diet;
- positive effects on the intakes of ten nutrients without an adverse effect on fat or cholesterol;
- more effective than other cash income or food stamps at improving preschoolers’ intake of key nutrients; and
- decline in the rate of iron deficiency anemia from 7.8 percent in 1975 to 2.9 percent in 1985 which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributed to both a general improvement in iron nutrition and participation in WIC and other public nutrition programs.
Improved Infant Feeding Practices
- WIC breastfeeding policy and program activites were strengthened in the early 1990′s;
- Between 1996 and 2001, the percentage of WIC mothers breastfeeding in the hospital increased by almost 25 percent, from 46.6 to 58.2 percent;
- The percentage of WIC infants breastfeeding at six months of age increased by 61.2 percent, from 12.9 to 20.8 percent; and,
- For those infants who are fed infant formula, 90 percent received iron-fortified formula, which is recommended for nearly all nonbreastfed infants for the first year of life.
Immunization Rates and RegularImproved Cognitive Development
- improve vocabulary scores for children of mothers who participated in WIC during pregnancy; and
- significantly improve memory for numbers for children enrolled in WIC after the first year of life.
Improved Preconception Nutritional Status
- women enrolled in WIC both during pregnancy and postpartum periods delivered infants with higher mean birth weights in a subsequent pregnancy than women who received WIC prenatally only; and,
- the women who received postpartum benefits had higher hemoglobin levels and lower risk of maternal obesity at the onset of the subsequent pregnancy.
Other Improved Outcomes
- increase the likelihood of children having a regular provider of medical care; and,
- improve growth rates.
Summary:
- WIC reduces fetal deaths and infant mortality.
- WIC reduces low birth weight rates and increases the duration of pregnancy.
- WIC improves the growth of nutritionally at-risk infants and children.
- WIC decreases the incidence of iron deficiency anemia in children.
- WIC improves the dietary intake of pregnant and postpartum women and improves weight gain in pregnant women.
- Pregnant women participating in WIC receive prenatal care earlier.
- Children enrolled in WIC are more likely to have a regular source of medical care and have more up to date immunizations.
- WIC helps get children ready to start school: children who receive WIC benefits demonstrate improved intellectual development.
- WIC significantly improves children’s diets.
WIC participation has also been shown to:
Preconception nutritional status is an important determinant of birth outcome. A previous pregnancy can cause nutritional depletion of the postpartum woman, particularly those with high parity and short interpregnancy intervals. One study found:
Cognitive development influences school achievement and behavior. Participation in the WIC Program has been shown to: Source of Medical Care
A regular schedule of immunizations is recommended for children from birth to 2 years of age, which coincides with the period in which many low-income children participate in WIC. Studies have found significantly improved rates of childhood immunization and of having a regular source of medical care associated with WIC participation.
WIC promotes breastfeeding as the optimal method of infant feeding. Studies show:
Studies have found WIC to have a positive effect on children’s diet and diet-related outcomes such as:
Research has shown that the WIC Program has been playing an important role in improving birth outcomes and containing health care costs. A series of reports published by USDA based on linked 1988 WIC and Medicaid data on over 100,000 births found that every dollar spent on prenatal WIC participation for low-income Medicaid women in five states resulted in:
