This is the first study to provide a comprehensive account of the WIC nutrition assessment and tailoring process. The nutrition and breastfeeding assessment process is critical to the delivery of individualized nutrition services and to meeting WIC’s mission. Study findings will inform FNS and WIC state and local agencies about how to enhance service delivery and improve retention of WIC participants.
This study primarily uses 2011–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to examine bivariate relationships between reported WIC participation and outcomes including diet quality, indicators of nutrition and health, food consumption patterns, and nutrient intakes among 1- to 4-year-old children. Most results presented in this report are unadjusted and descriptive only, and do not infer causality. They are intended to contribute to the evidence base needed to inform future research and, subsequently, WIC policy and practice.