Social Policy Institute, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
Mathematica, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543, USA.
Nutrients. 2023 May 27;15(11):2496. doi: 10.3390/nu15112496.
Previous research has explored the impact of W.I.C. on recipients' health, but less is known about the connection between barriers to W.I.C. access and health outcomes. We fill in a gap in the literature by studying the relationship between barriers to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (W.I.C.) access and adult and child food insecurity. After survey administration, we analyzed a cross-sectional sample of 2244 residents in Missouri who have used W.I.C. or lived in a household with a W.I.C. recipient in the past three years. We ran logistic regression models to understand the relationships among barriers to W.I.C. utilization, adult food insecurity, and child food insecurity. Having special dietary needs (for adults), lacking access to technology, encountering inconvenient clinic hours of operation, and experiencing difficulties taking off work were associated with increased adult food insecurity. Difficulties finding WIC-approved items in the store, technological barriers, inconvenient clinic hours, difficulties taking off work, and finding childcare were associated with increased child food insecurity. Barriers to accessing and utilizing W.I.C. are associated with adult and child food insecurity. However, current policies suggest promising approaches to curbing these barriers.
先前的研究探讨了 WIC 对接受者健康的影响，但对于获得 WIC 服务的障碍与健康结果之间的联系知之甚少。我们通过研究特殊补充营养计划（WIC）获取障碍与成人和儿童粮食不安全之间的关系，填补了文献中的空白。在调查实施后，我们分析了密苏里州过去三年中使用过 WIC 或与 WIC 接受者同住的 2244 名居民的横断面样本。我们运行逻辑回归模型以了解 WIC 利用率、成人粮食不安全和儿童粮食不安全之间的关系。有特殊饮食需求（成人）、无法使用技术、遇到不方便的诊所营业时间以及难以请假与成人粮食不安全增加有关。在商店中难以找到 WIC 批准的物品、技术障碍、诊所营业时间不便、难以请假以及寻找儿童保育与儿童粮食不安全增加有关。获取和利用 WIC 的障碍与成人和儿童粮食不安全有关。然而，现行政策提出了遏制这些障碍的有希望的方法。
