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The time has come to initiate a new program of research on the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (commonly referred to as WIC). WIC is the third largest food assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program's scope is large, serving approximately 9.3 million low-income women, infants, and children at nutritional risk. Through federal grants to states, participants receive three types of benefits: 1) a supplemental food package tailored to specific age groups for infants and children; 2) nutrition education, including breastfeeding support; and 3) referrals to health services and social services. To cover program costs for fiscal year (FY) 2010, Congress appropriated $7.252 billion. Congress also appropriated $15 million for research related to the program for FY 2010.
The timing of the funding for WIC research is propitious. In October 2009, USDA issued regulations that made substantial revisions to the WIC food package. These revisions are the first major change in the food package since the program's inception in 1972. Over the intervening years WIC has expanded greatly, Medicaid coverage has increased, large changes have occurred in the racial and ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic status of WIC participants as well as in public health services, and obesity rates have increased substantially among the general population.
To guide its planning for the use of the $15 million allocated for WIC research, the Food and Nutrition Service of USDA asked the Institute of Medicine to conduct a two-day public workshop on emerging research needs for WIC. As requested, the workshop included presentations and discussions to illuminate issues related to future WIC research issues, methodological challenges, and solutions. The workshop also planned for a program of research to determine the effects of WIC on maternal and child health outcomes.
Contents
- THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
- PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR WIC RESEARCH NEEDS: A WORKSHOP
- Reviewers
- Overview
- 1. Opening Session
- 2. WIC and Birth Outcomes
- 3. WIC and Obesity
- 4. Research Needed to Improve Breastfeeding Protection, Promotion, and Support Within WIC
- 5. Food Insecurity and Hunger
- 6. Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status
- 7. Nutrition Education in WIC
- 8. Health Care and Systems Costs, Benefits, and Effectiveness
- 9. The Reach of WIC
- 10. Closing Session: Wrap-Up and Methodological Issues and Data Considerations
- A Workshop Agenda
- B Biographical Sketches of the Presenters
- C Workshop Attendees
- D Abbreviations and Acronyms
- E Excerpts from Comments Received on the Institute of Medicine’s Website for the Workshop to Plan a Research Agenda for WIC
- F Compilation of Proposed Research Topics and Methodological Issues Covered During the Workshop
Rapporteur: Carol West Suitor.
This study was supported by Contract No. AG-3198-C-10-0004 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.
Suggested citation:
IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2011. Planning a WIC Research Agenda: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
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- Review Review of WIC Food Packages: Proposed Framework for Revisions: Interim Report[ 2016]Review Review of WIC Food Packages: Proposed Framework for Revisions: Interim ReportRasmussen KM, Latulippe ME, Yaktine AL, Committee to Review WIC Food Packages, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016 Jul 6
- Review The Impact of the 2009 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Food Package Revisions on Participants: A Systematic Review.[J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015]Review The Impact of the 2009 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Food Package Revisions on Participants: A Systematic Review.Schultz DJ, Byker Shanks C, Houghtaling B. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015 Nov; 115(11):1832-46. Epub 2015 Aug 12.
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- Review Savings achieved by giving WIC benefits to women prenatally.[Public Health Rep. 1995]Review Savings achieved by giving WIC benefits to women prenatally.Avruch S, Cackley AP. Public Health Rep. 1995 Jan-Feb; 110(1):27-34.
- Planning a WIC Research AgendaPlanning a WIC Research Agenda
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