Health Advisory: WIC's Effectiveness in Improving Nutritional Status

Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services
For Immediate Release:
March 3, 2004

Contact:
Joyce Everhart, Community Health Information Unit 573-526-5520
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
P.O. Box 570,
Jefferson City, Mo. 65102
Web site: www.dhss.state.mo.us

WIC's Effectiveness in Improving Nutritional Status

The proof is in the figures when it comes to determining the impact the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is having on the nutritional health of more than 130,000 participants in the state of Missouri. In spite of the fact that overall improvement of nutritional status is by nature a slow and evolving process, statistics gathered over the past decade by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal definite improvements in the status of Missouri WIC participants.

Nutritional benchmarks, such as breastfeeding rates and decrease in anemia rates, observed among the WIC participants in this USDA-funded and state-administered food assistance and nutrition education program, offer concrete evidence of an improved nutritional status.

For instance, among the WIC participants, babies who were ever breastfed increased from 32 percent in 1993 to nearly 48 percent almost a decade later. The encouragement of breastfeeding is an important part of overall WIC nutrition education.

Additionally, there has been a decrease in the risk of anemia from 26 percent in 1993 to 17 percent in 2002 for WIC children under the age of five. Improved nutrition is the key reason for this decrease.

The WIC program, which is administered by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, seeks to improve nutritional status by offering nutrition education along with issuing checks to purchase nutritious food for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to five years of age meeting eligibility requirements.In addition, WIC provides nutrition counseling, health screening and risk assessment, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care providers or social services agencies.

"In this new year, we need to continue to work toward assuring that every child in Missouri has an equal chance of beginning life on a nutritionally sound basis," said Richard C. Dunn, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. "We must work to see that everyone eligible knows about and takes advantage of the WIC program."

One of the criteria to be eligible for the benefits of the WIC program is to be deemed at nutritional risk by a health professional. Risks could include poor eating patterns, or being under or over recommended weights. This assessment is completed at the 118 WIC agencies across the state.

Besides being a Missouri resident, the only remaining eligibility requirement is based on income. Those levels, which the nearest WIC agency can provide, qualify individuals in a family of four who earn up to $2,800 per month. A person who participates, or has a family member who participates, in certain other benefit programs, such as the Food Stamp Program, Medicaid, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, automatically meets the income eligibility requirement. Income levels can be found at www.dhss.state.mo.us/wic/eligibilty_income.htm or by calling TEL-LINK at 1-800-835-5465.

"The WIC Program is an investment in our future because it improves our children's health," said Phyllis Fuller, a registered dietitian with the state's WIC program. "It gives our most vulnerable children the best possible start by providing nutrition education and healthy foods during the critical stages of fetal and childhood development." WIC provides foods that target specific essential nutrients often missing from diets of its participants. The nutrients targeted by WIC include vitamins A, C, and D, iron, calcium and protein. WIC provides foods in the diet such as cereals, milk and cheese, eggs, dried beans and peas, juice, and peanut butter. For information on how to receive WIC benefits contact Tel-Link at 1-800-835-5465 or contact the local public health agency in your county.

The state health department's web site has more information about the WIC program in Missouri, www.dhss.state.mo.us/MissouriNutrition.

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