• About WIC

WIC's Success in Improving Maternal and Child Health ...en ESPAÑOL

WIC have the History of 32 Years on Buiding Healthier Families

The health benefits from the WIC Program

The WIC Foods help kids grow healthy and strong

Welcome to WIC (PDF)

Prenatal care

Pregnancy & Cigarretes

The health benefits from Breastfeeding

"Breastfeeding the first hour"

The Food pyramid for kids

Finding the whole grains

Poor Diet and Bad Behavior

"Breastfeeding the first hour" in English and Spanish

Folic acid and Folate

Fruit and Vegetables for Better Health- PDF Englih and Spanish

WIC’s Success in Improving Maternal and Child Health

The results of studies conducted by Food Nutrition Services (FNS) and other non-government entities prove that WIC is one of the nation’s most successful and cost-effective nutrition intervention programs:

“WIC saves lives and improves the health of nutritionally at-risk

women, infants and children.”

WIC is a magnet that draws many pregnant women and their families into the broader health care system as well. As part of the WIC services provides, WIC clients have improves in their health by getting counseling, been screened and referred to other necessary health and social services, such as prenatal care, well baby care, and immunization services.

What is WIC?

The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program is a nutrition education program that provides nutrition and health information and referrals to the health and social services resources available in the community.

The WIC participants will also receive vouchers to purchase specific nutritious foods each month that are designed to supplement their diets to improve their nutritional status. WIC services are available for pregnant, breastfeeding, postpartum, and women whose pregnancy has ended early, infants and children under age 5.

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.

Here just a few of the many positive findings about WIC in its 33 years highlight its contributions to saving children’s lives, and improving maternal and child health, and the improvement in both the nation’s health and its economic strength U.S.

1- Department of Agriculture studies have shown that WIC’s greatest effect in lowering infant mortality has been in the reduction in neonatal mortality — the death rate for infants during the first 28 days after birth.

2- University of California and Rand Corporation researchers recently confirmed once again what USDA and other studies have shown, that WIC’s positive impact in reducing the heartbreak, struggle and social costs related to infant mortality and infants being born with permanent disabilities.

3-The Institute for Research on Poverty recently published an analysis showing that WIC is successfully preventing overweight in young children, which is likely to have implications for their future risk of contracting obesity related diseases. The researchers concluded that this is an important measure of the success of the WIC program because of the importance of obesity as a public health threat, and because of the importance of establishing healthy eating habits early in life.

4- The Children’s Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program has confirmed that WIC benefits are associated with improved infant health and growth: protecting against infant underweight and under malnutrition.