Arteaga Irma A, Carlos Chavez Fiorella L, Segovia Michelle S, Nayga Rodolfo M
Truman School of Government and Public Affairs, University of Missouri, E313 Locust Street Bldg, 615 Locust Street, Columbia, MO, USA.
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Arizona State University, 500 N 3rd St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
Appetite. 2025 Feb 1;206:107838. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107838. Epub 2024 Dec 22.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is one of the largest federal food and nutrition program serving women and young children and has a low coverage rate of about 50 percent. There is no peer-reviewed article that compares maternal perceptions of challenges and barriers to WIC participation by language and participation status. We compare challenges and barriers faced by English-speaking mothers to those faced by Spanish-speaking mothers to enrollment and retention in WIC within each group: current participants (n = 43), prior participants (dropouts; n = 27), and eligible non-participants (n = 18), using focus groups we conducted in Missouri in 2021-2023. We used thematic analysis to generate core themes in NVivo 14. We find heterogeneous barriers to WIC participation by participation status and language spoken by the mother. While all participants identified the difficulty in attending WIC appointments as a top barrier, a higher percentage of Spanish-speaking mothers in comparison to English-speaking mothers reported it more frequently. Only eligible non-participants identified lack of information on the WIC program, its benefits, and certification requirements as barrier. Unlike common belief, language was not considered a barrier, but rather a challenge exhibited among Spanish-speaking mothers. While dissatisfaction with food alternatives is a top challenge for current WIC participants, it only becomes a barrier for Spanish-speaking mothers but not for English-speaking ones. Findings highlight the importance of designing creative ways to inform WIC-eligible mothers about the program's benefits and enrollment requirements, and to consider differences by maternal tongue and culture. Increases in food amount and variety may lead to higher participation rates. Moreover, extending hours of operation at the WIC clinics and providing virtual meetings may lead to increasing retention rates and benefits redemption.
妇女、婴儿和儿童特别补充营养计划（WIC）是为妇女和幼儿服务的最大联邦食品和营养计划之一，覆盖率较低，约为50%。目前尚无经过同行评审的文章比较不同语言和参与状况的母亲对参与WIC的挑战和障碍的看法。我们通过2021年至2023年在密苏里州开展的焦点小组，比较了英语母语母亲和西班牙语母语母亲在每组（即当前参与者（n = 43）、先前参与者（退出者；n = 27）和符合条件的非参与者（n = 18））中参与WIC登记和留存时所面临的挑战和障碍。我们使用主题分析在NVivo 14中生成核心主题。我们发现，母亲的参与状况和所讲语言对WIC参与存在不同障碍。虽然所有参与者都将难以参加WIC预约视为首要障碍，但与英语母语母亲相比，更高比例的西班牙语母语母亲更频繁地提到这一点。只有符合条件的非参与者将缺乏WIC计划、其福利和认证要求的信息视为障碍。与普遍看法不同，语言并未被视为障碍，而是西班牙语母语母亲中表现出的一项挑战。虽然对食品替代品不满意是当前WIC参与者面临的首要挑战，但这只成为西班牙语母语母亲的障碍，而不是英语母语母亲的障碍。研究结果凸显了设计创新方式向符合WIC条件的母亲宣传该计划的福利和登记要求，并考虑母语和文化差异（的重要性）。增加食品数量和种类可能会提高参与率。此外，延长WIC诊所的营业时间并提供虚拟会议可能会提高留存率和福利兑换率。
