A new policy brief highlighting a recent study shows how federal safety net programs such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and especially the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC, play a critical role in improving diet quality and weight among socioeconomically disadvantaged young children. Using data from the WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2, researchers found that race and ethnicity, along with safety net program duration, were the strongest predictors of higher Healthy Eating Index scores, a measure of diet quality. Consistent and longer WIC participation was repeatedly linked to better diet quality, highlighting the importance of sustained participation in the program. Additionally, maternal factors such as level of education and weight status, as well as child birthweight, were found as predictors for children’s weight status, categorized by body mass index. The brief suggests that encouraging extended participation in safety net programs, especially WIC, may be an effective strategy for improving young children’s nutrition, particularly among Black and English-speaking Hispanic households. Further, these findings offer policymakers insights for strengthening nutrition support programs to reduce health disparities among low-income families. The brief was published by the University of California, Davis Center for Poverty & Inequality research and was supported by grant #81359 from Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the USDA/National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project# CA-D-NTR-2689-H. The brief does not necessarily represent the official views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or the USDA.
