WIC Makes A Difference
WIC contributes to the overall health of growing families.
- Women have access to nutritious foods and have healthier babies.
- Infants show improved growth and development.
- Children develop strong minds and bodies.
Research shows that WIC:
- Increases enrollment in prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy.
- Increases infant birth weight.
- Increases intake of iron and vitamin C during infancy.
- Increases intake of nutrient-dense foods.
- Decreases medical costs. WIC saves the taxpayers up to $8 in Medicaid expenses for every $1 spent on pregnant women.
So how does that benefit my community?
Healthier babies lead happier and more successful lives. The impacts of WIC can lead to:
- Shift of tax dollars to areas of greater need
- Decreased crime and poverty
- Improved community morale
- Higher educational scores and results
- Increased graduation and college attendance rates
According to the USDA
Based a variety of studies, 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
Every dollar spent on prenatal WIC participation for low-income Medicaid women resulted in:
- 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.3,4,5
Improved Diet and Diet-Related Outcomes
Studies have found WIC to have a positive effect on children’s diet and diet-related outcomes such as:
- higher intakes of vitamins and minerals, without an increase in food intake;19
- higher intakes of ten nutrients without an adverse effect on fat or cholesterol;14
- more effective than other cash income or SNAP benefits at improving preschoolers’ intake of key nutrients;14 and
- decline in the rate of iron deficiency anemia .20
Improved Infant Feeding Practices
By promoting breastfeeding as the ideal method of infant feeding, studies have shown:
- Receiving advice to breastfeed their babies from the WIC clinic was more likely to result in breastfeeding than other WIC participants or eligible nonparticipants;18
- The percentage of WIC mothers breastfeeding in the hospital increased by almost 25 percent;
- The percentage of WIC infants breastfeeding at six months increased by 61.2 percent.
Immunization Rates and Regular Source of Medical Care
Studies have found significantly improved rates of childhood immunization and of having a regular source of medical care associated with WIC participation.19
Improved Cognitive Development
Participation in the WIC Program has been shown to:
- improve vocabulary scores for children of mothers who participated in WIC prenatally; and
- significantly improve memory for numbers for children enrolled in WIC after the first year of life.19
Other Improved Outcomes
WIC participation has also been shown to:
- increase the likelihood of children having a regular provider of medical care;19 and,
- improve growth rates.6,8
Summary:
- WIC reduces fetal deaths and infant mortality.
- WIC reduces low birthweight 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