Department of Kinesiology and Public Health, Center for Health Research, California Polytechnic State University, One Grand Ave, 43A-371, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA.
Division of Research and Evaluation, Public Health Foundation Enterprises WIC Program, 12781 Schabarum Ave, Irwindale, CA, 91706, USA.
J Community Health. 2022 Apr;47(2):184-192. doi: 10.1007/s10900-021-01026-8. Epub 2021 Sep 23.
Many Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinics implemented alternatives to in-person service delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including virtual visits and electronic document sharing. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to describe WIC participants' experiences with remote service delivery and recertification during the pandemic. Participants included mothers and infants who participated in a WIC-based intervention between June 2019-August 2020. All participants (N = 246) were invited to complete a follow-up survey between November 2020-February 2021; 185 mothers completed the survey. The survey assessed sociodemographics, employment, food security, experiences with remote WIC recertification and service delivery, and experiences with obtaining WIC foods during the pandemic. Average age for mothers was 29.2 ± 6.3 years and for infants was 17.7 ± .2 months; 80% (n = 147) identified as Hispanic. Approximately 34% (n = 62) of participants reported very low or low food security and 40% (n = 64) had difficulties buying WIC foods during the pandemic. Among participants who recalled providing documentation of income and address virtually, the majority felt comfortable providing information via email (60%) and text messaging (72%). Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with remote methods of service delivery, as well as overall satisfaction with the WIC program during the pandemic. While ~ 25% of study participants preferred for all WIC services to remain remote, 75% still desired at least some in-person contact with WIC staff after the pandemic. In conclusion, remote methods of WIC service delivery addressed existing barriers to WIC participation and were well-received by study participants.
许多妇女、婴儿和儿童特别补充营养计划 (WIC) 诊所针对 COVID-19 大流行实施了替代面对面服务的措施，包括虚拟访问和电子文档共享。本横断面研究的目的是描述 WIC 参与者在大流行期间远程服务提供和重新认证的体验。参与者包括 2019 年 6 月至 2020 年 8 月期间参加 WIC 为基础的干预措施的母亲和婴儿。所有参与者（N=246）均受邀于 2020 年 11 月至 2021 年 2 月期间完成一项随访调查；185 位母亲完成了调查。该调查评估了社会人口统计学、就业、粮食安全、远程 WIC 重新认证和服务提供的体验，以及在大流行期间获得 WIC 食品的体验。母亲的平均年龄为 29.2±6.3 岁，婴儿的平均年龄为 17.7±0.2 个月；80%（n=147）为西班牙裔。约 34%（n=62）的参与者报告了极低或低粮食不安全，40%（n=64）在大流行期间购买 WIC 食品有困难。在回忆提供收入和地址虚拟文件的参与者中，大多数人对通过电子邮件（60%）和短信（72%）提供信息感到舒适。参与者报告远程服务提供方法的满意度较高，以及在大流行期间对 WIC 计划的总体满意度较高。尽管约 25%的研究参与者希望所有 WIC 服务仍保持远程提供，但 75%的参与者仍希望在大流行后至少与 WIC 工作人员进行一些面对面的接触。总之，WIC 服务的远程提供方法解决了参与 WIC 的现有障碍，并得到了研究参与者的好评。
