A new study from CHOICES analyzed how trends in obesity among children participating in WIC changed after food package changes were enacted in 2009.
The aim of this study was to evaluate if the changes made to the foods that could be purchased through the U.S. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in 2009 had an impact on childhood obesity. Using state-specific obesity prevalence data for 2-4 year olds participating in WIC from 2000 to 2014, the researchers estimated the annual trend in obesity prevalence across states, and then tested whether that trend significantly changed after the WIC package revision in 2009, adjusting for changes in demographics. The results suggest that the 2009 WIC food package change likely helped to reverse the rapid increase in obesity prevalence among WIC participants observed before the food package change, helping set the millions of young children who benefit from WIC on a path toward a healthier weight.
To learn more, read a summary and the abstract of this paper.
WIC Food Package Changes: Trends in Childhood Obesity Prevalence.
Daepp MIG, Gortmaker SL, Wang YC, Long MW, Kenney EL. Pediatrics. 2019;143(5):e20182841.