Study Shows Improved Health Outcomes for Infants Born to Mothers Enrolled in Food Safety Net Program With Revised Dietary Guidelines

Babies born to Tennessee women who received the WIC Food program after dietary guidelines were revised in 2009 showed improved child development outcomes in early life, according to a study published in the February 2021 issue of Pediatrics. The study, “The Revised WIC Food Package and Child Development: A Quasi-Experimental Study,” suggests nutritional interventions during pregnancy may reduce intergenerational transmission of health disparities. Published online Jan. 25, the study used data from the Conditional Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood study, which enrolled 1,503 pregnant women and their children from 2006-2011. WIC, one of the largest national safety net programs, was revised to be more congruent with dietary guidelines in 2009 by including healthier food options (fruits/vegetables); restrictions to less healthy options (requiring milk to be low-fat and bread to be whole grain); incentives to breastfeed; and $10/month vouchers for purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. The researchers found babies born to mothers who received the revised food package had improved length-for-age z-scores at age 12 months and improved cognitive development at age 24 months. There was no observed effect of the revised WIC food package on child growth beyond age 12 months or measures of socioemotional development, and no effect on cognitive development at age 4-6 years. The food program was created to safeguard the health of women, infants, and children up to the age of five living in low-income households, in part through the provision of healthy foods. WIC serves approximately half of all infants, 30% of all children under the age of five, and approximately one-third of all pregnant and postpartum women, according to research.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.