Prenatal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Participation: A Step Toward Human Capital Development
This JAMA Pediatrics editorial focuses on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, evaluations of the program before and after the 2009 food package revisions, and a new JAMA Pediatrics quasi-experimental study by Hamad et al that looks at whether the revised 2009 WIC food package improved perinatal and birth outcomes among recipients. Hamad et al found that it did have positive impacts on maternal and child health, including reductions in maternal pre-eclampsia and an increased likelihood of infant birth weight that was appropriate for gestational age. Future research related to WIC could focus on pregnant women who would be most likely to benefit from the revised WIC food package, identifying and developing strategies to improve WIC coverage across all racial and ethnic groups and states, and economic analyses to measure WIC’s impact.