Wic Program Case Study

(Shepherd, 2008). According to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (2010), a main component of the WIC program focuses on maternal nutrition during pregnancy. Eligible mothers in the WIC program undergo an initial nutritional screening to allow for early detection of deficiencies and risks that later contribute to poor growth and health in infants. (New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, 2010). Participants are provided with nutritionists and counselors to develop a plan to eliminate any risks to the health of the mother and child. WIC also promotes a healthy lifestyle to prevent complications and disease during pregnancy and birth. Low maternal weight and poor weight gain in pregnancy have also been shown to add to the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight and failure to initiate breast-feeding . Lack of proper nutrition during pregnancy can cause potential health problems for the child later in life, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. (Shepherd, 2008). According to Anne Ross, babies born to mothers with nutritionally-deficient diets are more likely to suffer from impaired brain development, low birth weight, and higher risk of disease development especially during early childhood. (2003). The WIC program allows for women to be referred to many public services including home care and social workers. WIC collaborates with various nutritional programs such as the Office of Nutrition and Fitness,

Since its inception, WIC has seen increases in enrollment and has responded by establishing 10,000 clinic sites including county health departments, hospitals, mobile clinics, community centers, schools, migrant health sites and Indian Service facilities (USDA, 2015). Almost 46,000 merchants across the U.S accepted WIC vouchers that provide nutritious foods for families in 2015, according to the USDA. WIC has established overall goals of providing “vouchers for supplemental nutritious foods, education and counseling at WIC clinics, and screenings/referrals to other health and welfare services” (USDA, 2015). In addition to these goals, WIC has joined the Healthy People 2020 federal initiative to achieve the major breastfeeding goals of

The purpose of the WIC Program is to provide food assistance each month to the participants that are eligible. It helps pregnant women, new mothers, and young children eat well and stay healthy. WIC is also a short-term intervention program designed to influence lifetime nutrition and health behaviors in a targeted, high-risk population.

WIC is a supplemental food program for pregnant and postpartum women and infants through the age of five years. The dieticians spoke of the food’s nutritional quality, the health benefits, how to sign up for WIC and the support given to mothers and children while on the WIC program. The dieticians reported they also provided referrals as needed for medical care, early childhood programs and additional food support options. The website reports that, “Nutrition education is the cornerstone of this public health program” (Hennepin County, 2016j). The website gives information on applying for WIC, education on the different food groups and information on buying fresh, local food from farmers markets (Hennepin County,

The West Fresno Family Resource Center’s mission is to empower and support the West Fresno Community to Achieve Optimal Health and Well Being.1 This center provides nutrition education and promotion programs for children, teens, adult and senior populations. The West Fresno Family Resource Center (WFRC) fits perfectly the community nutrition definition. It provides nutrition education and promotion to its community members by planning and implementing programs at its center as a way of reducing and preventing nutrition related health problems within its community. Ms. Yolanda Randles is the Executive Director and Ms. Janice Mathurin is the Director of Operations of WFRC. In addition, Ms. Christina Rodriguez is the Diabetes Self-Management Program

The rate of childhood obesity in New Jersey remains high, and put children at risk of developing chronic diseases in adulthood. Children living in low-income communities are more vulnerable due to several factors influencing their food choices. Thus, through the Nutritiously Me program, The Rak Foundation for Nutritional Awareness (RFNA) envisions to produce a healthy dietary behavior change among low-income communities of New Jersey.

        The WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 mandated that any school receiving federal funding would be required to create a school wellness policy by 2006 (Wharton, Long & Schwartz, 2008). The policies created would set guidelines for all foods that are sold on campus in order to reduce the chance of obesity (Wharton, Long & Schwartz, 2008). This is a policy that has provided some attention to the issue of nutrition in the school systems and would provide an opportunity for school nurses, dietitians and other personnel to influence the food policies of the districts in which they work or live (Wharton, Long & Schwartz, 2008).

WIC program target low-income populations who are exposed to nutritional risks. Among these, women, infants and small children considered to be most at risk. The program, therefore, intends to cater for pregnant women, up to the end of the pregnancy period, or up to 6 weeks after birth, breastfeeding women up to one year after birth, infants to their first birthday, and children till they reach five years of age. Through this policy, their health is safeguarded facilitating for a healthy normal life to the newborn. Among the benefits accrued by the beneficiaries are supplemental nutritious food, nutritional counseling and education, and access to other health,

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federally funded public health nutrition program that provides various services to income-eligible women, breast feeding or postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5 years old. The WIC program provides nutritional education and counseling, nutritious foods, breastfeeding support, and health care referrals if applicable to applicants. This program has been effective in the reduced rate of premature births, low birth weight babies, fetal and infant deaths, incidence of low iron (anemia), improved diet quality, increased immunization rates, increased consumption of key nutrients by pregnant women, and an increase access to earlier prenatal care.

The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was passed in order to reauthorize child nutrition programs. It provides funding and sets policy for nutrition programs such as the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Each local agency that participates in the National School Lunch Program or other federal child nutrition program is required by law to establish a local school wellness policy for all schools under its jurisdiction.

Obesity in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) participants is a problem that needs to be addressed through an effective intervention. The problem is that even though SNAP provides resources to food insecure individuals, the food being provided is not nutritious and is thus contributing to the high rates of obesity in SNAP participants. The most effective way to address this issue is through nutrition education for these participants. At least two intervention programs have worked in the past, with a few improvements that could be made. Looking at two different intervention programs and funding options will help determine the most effective methods for relieving this issue. When the benefits and obstacles of each intervention are understood, the best program can be established, funded, and implemented to best serve the population. Using nutrition education methods to alleviate obesity in SNAP participants through SNAP-Ed and WIC Health are the most effective in terms of the textbook’s theory layout.

We are evaluating Eat Healthy, Stay Active! (EHSA), a multi-level obesity prevention program that includes Head Start children, parents, and staff. Designed at the University of California-Los Angeles, Eat Healthy, Stay Active! (EHSA) is a national program that was piloted at Head Start in Columbia, MO in 2013. The program consists of staff training, parent training, and a coordinated classroom curriculum led by staff. They expanded the program to include medical students from University of Missouri, Columbia. Medical students take part in 4 training sessions and 3 EHSA parental education sessions. Topics for student training sessions include: culture of poverty, nutrition in the low-income populations, health literacy, while parent training

WIC provides nutritious supplemental foods, health care referrals, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support for these clients (WIC, 2015).

The obesity epidemic is at an all-time high as evidenced by the fact that there are more overweight and obese people than those of healthy weight in the U.S. today. Many political, medical and surgical interventions have proven to be largely unsuccessful. There has only been marginal success with government led nutritional initiatives such as First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. The key to ending this obesity epidemic lies within health promotion. Nurses possess the essential skills and training developed from nursing practice to use health promotion and preventative health care to target at risk clients and communities before obesity develops. Through teaching, especially children what foods they should eat and the right portion size we can save the next generation from an obesity epidemic.

The registered dietician at the WICC department provided lots of education for the clients that I observed. She provided proper nutrition education for their age recommendation based on the MyPlate and food pyramid. She spoke at length with each client about meeting requirements and ways to include certain foods in their diets. She educated the parents on proper weight/height guideline. She provided each parents or client with educational material regarding nutrition guidelines based on age. The pamphlets were based on age starting at 1 year and went through 5 years of age. She also educated the parents of infants on proper nutrition regarding bottle, sippy cup and pacifier use. The appointments were used to give vouchers for purchase