WIC: Women Infants
and Children
The Importance of WIC: Its Impact on
Individuals and Our Community
Photo from: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wic/
Outline
 What is WIC?
 What are the benefits of WIC to an individual
and/or community?
 What is the community’s role in WIC?
2
What is WIC?
Photo from: http://www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/health/nutrition/docs/wic_program.htm
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History
 Created by Congress:
 To address widespread hunger and poverty
 A federal grant program-Congress authorizes funding
each year
 Made permanent in 1974
 Provides:
 Quality nutrition education and services
 Support breastfeeding promotion and education
 A monthly food prescription (package).
 Access to maternal, prenatal, and pediatric health-care
services
Sources: USDA and National WIC Association
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Who does WIC serve?
 Target Populations low income, nutritionally at risk:
 Pregnant Women
 Breastfeeding Women
 Non-breastfeeding postpartum women
 Infants
 Children up to their 5th birthday
 Eligibility:
 Income level less than or equal to 185% of the poverty
level
 Individual is at a nutritional risk
Source: National WIC Association
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What benefits do Women, Infants, and
Children Receive?
 Health and nutrition screening
 Nutrient-dense WIC foods for growth and
development
 Nutrition Education to help achieve healthy
growth and development
 Breastfeeding education and support
 Benefits



Women
Infants
Children
Insert photo from
community here
Source: Wisconsin Department of Health Services-Benefits Received by
WIC Participants.
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National Data
 In 2007, over 50% of all
infants born in the
United States were in
WIC (National WIC Association)
 In 2008, average WIC
family size was four
(National WIC Association)
Source: National
WIC Association
% Poverty
Level
0%
Income Level
1-50%
$224-$11,175
51-100%
$11,399$22,350
101-150%
$22,574$33,525
$33,749$41,348
151-185%
$0
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Savings in Health Care…
 WIC attempts to reduce preterm births
 WIC creates $44,482 dollars in SAVINGS
 $1.00 Spent : $2.20 Saved
 SAVES Money
 Creates Nontax Revenues
Source: National WIC Association
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State Data
 Wisconsin

2008 WIC Participants:





Pregnant/Postpartum Women: 60,601
Infants: 40,763
Children age 1-4: 102,426
Total Participants: 203,790
In 2008, 6,096 teenage births
Source: Wisconsin Department of Health Services-2008 Profile for Wisconsin
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Local Data
 Eau Claire City-County


Overall county health ranking: 19th
2008 WIC Participants:




Pregnant/Postpartum Women: 1,093
Infants: 729
Children: 1,912
81 teenage births
Sources: County Health Rankings and Wisconsin Department of Health
Services-2008 Profile for Eau Claire County
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Local Data
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What are the benefits of WIC
to an individual and/or
community?
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Society Benefits of WIC…
 WIC participants decrease other health care
costs
 Children are more likely to do well in school
 Keeps Kids Safe
Source: National WIC Association
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WIC Encourages Healthy Behaviors…
 Breastfeeding
 Healthy eating
 Exercise
 Decrease
Insert Photo
from own
WIC
Program
overweight/obesity
levels
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Eau Claire City-County
Baby Breastfed…
(Not exclusively)
Percent
State
Rank in
Ever
72.4%
(376/520)
24th
At least 6 months
24.2%
(61/252)
22nd
At least 12 months
10.7%
(41/375)
32nd
15
Source: 2010 PedNSS
Percentage of WIC infants breastfed
at least 6 months by race and ethnicity
70
Percentage
60
Year 2010
Target: 50%
50
40
30
20
10
0
White
Black
Hispanic American
Indian
State
Source: PedNSS 2010 PowerPoint
Asian
Multiple
Total
Nation
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Percent of WIC Infants Breastfed at
12 months by race and ethnicity
70
Percentage
60
50
40
Year 2010
30
Target: 25%
20
10
0
White
Black
Hispanic American
Indian
State
Source: PedNSS 2010 PowerPoint
Asian
Multiple
Total
Nation
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Percentage
Trends in the Percent of WIC Infants Ever
Breastfed, and Breastfed at least 6 and 12 months
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Year
Ever Breastfed
Breastfed 6 Months
Source: PedNSS 2010 PowerPoint
Breastfed 12 Months
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Value of Food Packages
 WIC Check
 Food package
 Value of a food package
Example
photo: Use
community
photo
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Prevalence of Obesity among WIC
Children Age <5, by age
Percentage
20
15
10
5
0
<1
1
2
3
Age (years)
State
Source: PedNSS 2010 PowerPoint
4
Total
Nation
20
Trends in Prevalence of Obesity
among WIC Children Age <5, by Race and Ethnicity
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Percentage
20
15
10
5
0
2001
White
2002
2003
Black
2004
Hispanic
2005 2006
Year
2007
American Indian
2008
Asian
2009
2010
Multiple
Total
21
Source: PedNSS 2010 PowerPoint
Prevalence of Obesity
among WIC Children Age <5 years, by region
10
Source: PedNSS 2010 PowerPoint
NATION
State
WRO
SRO
SERO
0
NRO
5
NERO
Percentage
15
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Food Insecurity Data
 In 2006, more than 1 in 10 American households
(11.3%) had very low food security
 In 2007, 51% of WI WIC households/families
identified with low food security
 In 2007, 15% of WI WIC households/families
identified with very low food security
 In 2007, 48% of 495 respondents reported very low
security in Eau Claire County (Insert your
county name and data here)
Source: Nutrition & Physical Activity Section; WIC Program, Bureau of
Community Health Promotion, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services
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What is the Community’s Role
in WIC?
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How can communities support WIC
and WIC-enrolled families?
 Promote and encourage WIC participation
 Support WIC breastfeeding efforts by helping
to maintain local coalitions
 Ensure consistent practices and policies
between organizations for breastfeeding
support
 Support WIC and health departments
leadership roles in nutrition coalitions to
improve the health and nutrition environment
in which WIC families live, eat, work, and play
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What can you do as a board?
 Enact policy and environmental initiatives that
support healthy eating and active living
 Partner with a variety of local agencies to leverage
resources to achieve greater impact (i.e. Planning
Dept, Economic Redevelopment Agency, Parks &
Recreation Dept.)
 Set feasible short and long term goals to address
your community's unique needs
 Measure your community’s performance and adjust
goals as necessary
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Eau Claire City-County
Programs/Coalitions
 Northwestern Wisconsin Breastfeeding
Network
 Energize Eau Claire County
 Prenatal Visits
 WIC Program
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Example: Eau Claire, WI
 Goal:

Increase access to affordable healthier foods
 Change:


WIC food package changes
Veggin’ Out at Farmers Market
 Outcome:



Created an incentive program for WIC clients
to shop at local farm markets
Fruit and vegetable vouchers in addition to
Farmers’ Market vouchers
Local farmers and vendors earn income
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WIC Fits into the Bigger Public
Health Picture
 Local Impact-Creates a healthier community!
 WIC is a Cornerstone
Targets children & families
 Agency networks for program and client centered
services
 Staff are recognized as nutrition experts in the
community
 Helps meet National Objectives
 Healthy People 2020
 Assists with State Health Plan Goals
 Healthiest WI 2020

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Healthiest Wisconsin 2020
Focus Area: Adequate,
Appropriate, and Safe Food
and Nutrition
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Healthiest Wisconsin 2020
By 2020:
 People in Wisconsin will eat more nutritious foods and
drink more nutritious beverages through decreased access
to sugar-sweetened beverages and other less nutritious
foods, and through supported, sustained breastfeeding.
 All people in Wisconsin will have ready-access to sufficient
nutritious, high quality, affordable foods and beverages.
 Wisconsin will reduce disparities in obesity rates
populations of differing races, ethnicities, sexual identities
and orientations, gender identities, and educational or
economic status.
Source: Appropriate, Adequate, and Safe Food and Nutrition (Focus Area Profile)
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Thank You!
Questions ?
Comments ?
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RESOURCES
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Local Obesity & Nutrition Data
 USDA Food Environment Atlas:

Your Food Environment Atlas

Access and proximity to grocery stores
Availability of food stores/restaurants
Farm to school programs

Recreation and fitness facilities per 1000 population

Demographics: Race/ethnicity, income,


poverty rate
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Local Obesity & Nutrition Data
 Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health (all
counties module)

Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Survey



Adult overweight and obesity
Lack of physical activity
Chronic disease / overall health
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Local Obesity & Nutrition Data:
WI Department of Health Services
 Wisconsin WIC Website (WICPRO)
WI WIC and Nutrition Data
PedNSS Reports: Infants and Children (ages 2-4)
 Breastfeeding initiation, duration, exclusivity
 LBW, HBW, Premature Birth
 Overweight & obesity (measured)
 Screen time > 2 hours/day
PNSS Reports: Moms
 Pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity
 Weight gain during pregnancy (compared with ideal)
 Hypertension during pregnancy
 Gestational diabetes
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State-level Obesity & Nutrition Data: CDC
 National Survey of Children’s Health (youth under 18
by parental report)

National Survey of Children's Health

Weight status, physical activity, nutrition
 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Adult prevalence & trends for weight status, health risk behaviors
 Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity State
Legislative Database

State Leg. & Research Action to Prevent Obesity
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Works Cited
Benefits of Breastfeeding. Retrieved from
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/benefits-of-breastfeeding
CDC. 2010 Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System [PowerPoint
Slides] Retrieved from http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wic/WICPRO/data/PedNSS/index.
htm#data
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, Mar 11).
Overweight and Obesity: Health Consequences. Retrieved from:
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/health.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). 2010 Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance
Wisconsin. Retrieved from http:
//www.hs.wisconsin.gov/wic/WICPRO/data/PedNSS/10county.pdf
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Works Cited
County Health Rankings. (2011). Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Retrieved from
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/wisconsin/eau-claire/findprograms-and-policies
Focus Area Strategic Team. (2009). Adequate, Appropriate, and Safe Food and Nutrition
Focus Area Profile). Retrieved from
http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/hw2020/pdf/nutrition.pdf
National WIC Association. (2011). WIC For a Healthier, Stronger America!.
Nutrition & Physical Activity Section; WIC Program, Bureau of
Community Health Promotion, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services ( 2007, Nov). Food
Security in the Wisconsin WIC Population, January, 2007.
Retrieved from
http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wic/WICPRO/data/foodsecurity.pdf
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Works Cited
USDA. (2009, Nov). WIC: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for
Women, Infants and Children. Retrieved from
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/WIC-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
(2010, July 12). Public Health Profiles: 2008 Profile for Eau Claire County.
Retrieved from
http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/localdata/pdf/08pubhlth/eauclaire08.pdf
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2010, July 12). Public
Health Profiles: 2008 Profile for Wisconsin. Retrieved from
http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/localdata/pdf/08pubhlth/wisconsin08.pdf
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Works Cited
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2011, June 14). Benefits
Received by WIC Participants. Retrieved from
http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wic/benefits.htm
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