Public Policy Department, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA.
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2020 Jun 1;111(6):1278-1285. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa097.
Many lower-income communities in the United States lack a full-line grocery store. There is evidence that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) increases the availability of healthy foods in stores. One national discount variety store chain (DVS) that is often located in low-income neighborhoods became an authorized WIC vendor in 8 pilot stores.
The objective of this study was to evaluate how implementing WIC in DVS pilot stores affected sales of healthy, WIC-eligible foods.
We used DVS sales data and difference-in-differences regression to evaluate how WIC authorization affected sales of WIC-eligible foods in 8 DVS pilot stores, compared with 8 matched comparison stores.
DVS added 18 new WIC-approved foods to become an authorized vendor. Results indicate that becoming a WIC vendor significantly increased sales of healthy, WIC-eligible foods that DVS carried before authorization. WIC implementation in DVS led to a 31-unit increase in sales of the original WIC foods per week on average (P < 0.01). Lower socioeconomic status, assessed using a summary measure, is associated with increased sales of WIC foods. Yet sales of non-WIC eligible foods (e.g., salty snack foods, candy bars, soda, and processed meats) were not affected by WIC authorization.
Encouraging DVS stores to become WIC-authorized vendors has the potential to modestly increase DVS sales and the availability of healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods. If WIC authorization is financially viable for small-format variety stores, encouraging similar small-format variety stores to become WIC-authorized has the potential to improve food access.
美国许多低收入社区缺乏提供全线食品的杂货店。有证据表明，妇女、婴儿和儿童特别补充营养计划（WIC）增加了商店提供健康食品的机会。一家全国折扣专卖店连锁店（DVS）通常位于低收入社区，该连锁店在 8 家试点商店成为授权的 WIC 供应商。
本研究旨在评估 DVS 试点商店实施 WIC 对销售健康的、符合 WIC 条件的食品的影响。
我们使用 DVS 的销售数据和差分法回归来评估在 8 家 DVS 试点商店实施 WIC 授权对销售 WIC 合格食品的影响，与 8 家匹配的比较商店进行比较。
DVS 添加了 18 种新的 WIC 批准食品成为授权供应商。结果表明，成为 WIC 供应商显著增加了 DVS 授权前销售的健康、符合 WIC 条件的食品的销售额。WIC 在 DVS 的实施导致每周 WIC 原有食品的销售额平均增加了 31 个单位（P<0.01）。使用综合指标评估的较低社会经济地位与 WIC 食品销售额的增加有关。然而，WIC 合格食品（例如咸味零食、糖果棒、苏打水和加工肉类）的销售额并未受到 WIC 授权的影响。
鼓励 DVS 商店成为授权的 WIC 供应商有可能适度增加 DVS 在低收入社区的销售额和健康食品的供应。如果 WIC 授权对小型专卖店具有财务可行性，那么鼓励类似的小型专卖店成为 WIC 授权供应商，有可能改善食品供应。
