WIC Breastfeeding Policy Inventory II

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a nutrition assistance program. WIC safeguards the health of pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and young children from households with low-income who are at nutritional risk.

In the past decade, FNS launched a national breastfeeding campaign and competency-based breastfeeding training curriculum for WIC staff; WIC state and local agencies increased their use of technology to serve WIC participants; and Congress substantially increased funding for the Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program.

The WIC Breastfeeding Policy Inventory (BPI) II study provides the first comprehensive update on WIC breastfeeding policies and practices since these important changes were implemented. This study also responded to a congressional directive to understand the criteria WIC state agencies use to determine whether participants receive breastfeeding services and supplies.

Key Findings

• Sixty-three percent of WIC state agencies imposed at least one criterion or one or more qualifying conditions to receive a single-user electric breast pump. Fewer WIC state agencies imposed criteria for participants to receive a multiuser electric (18%) or manual breast pump (9%).
• Among state agencies that imposed criteria for participants to meet to receive breast pumps, their policies were flexible enough to ensure participants who needed a pump could receive one.
• Seventy-one percent of local agencies operated a peer counseling program; 42% of these agencies indicated they need more peer counselors to serve all participants who could benefit from this program.
• All WIC state agencies and 78% of local agencies used the FNS WIC breastfeeding curriculum to provide breastfeeding training and education to one or more types of staff.
• Eighty-three percent and 32% of local agencies offered live one-on-one virtual breastfeeding counseling sessions by telephone and video call, respectively.
• Eighty-six percent of WIC state agencies and 61% of local agencies used or promoted use of the USDA national breastfeeding campaign, WIC Breastfeeding Support: “Learn Together. Grow Together.”
• To reduce barriers to WIC participation, WIC state and local agencies offer flexibilities and accommodations such as early morning or evening hours by appointment (76% of local agencies offered this).