By State of Childhood Obesity, May 13, 2020
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is one of the nation’s largest federal nutrition programs, serving approximately 6.3 million people, including about half of all infants born in the United States. WIC helps low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5 achieve and maintain a healthy weight by providing healthy foods and nutrition education; promoting breastfeeding and supporting nursing mothers; and providing healthcare and social-service referrals.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult for WIC participants to access their standard benefits, and for new participants to enroll. To get a better picture of WIC during this time, we spoke with Georgia Machell, PhD, senior director of research and program operations for the National WIC Association (NWA), and Geri Henchy, director of nutrition policy and early childhood programs at the Food Research Action Center (FRAC). Below is a transcript of the conversation.
Comments (0)