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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mary Jean Brown, RN, ScD, Department of Maternal and Child Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Av., Boston, MA 02115, Pat McLaine, RN, MPH, National Center for Lead-Safe Housing, 10227 Wincopin Circle, Suite 205, Columbia, MD 21044, 410-772-2778, mbrown@hsph.harvard.edu, and Peter Simon, MD MPH, Rhode Island Department of Health, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908.
This study examined the association between nutrient intake and WIC enrollment among primarily low-income children with moderately elevated blood lead levels (BPb) 15-19 ug/dL. Data were collected from children enrolled in a randomized study of the effect of home visiting on the blood lead levels of children with moderate lead exposure (HVMLP). A survey questionnaire, administered to all children enrolled in the HVMLP, was used to determine WIC participation, timing of WIC enrollment, household income, child’s age, race and gender. The Harvard Service Food Frequency Questionnaire (HFFQ) was used to assess nutrient intake. The association between intake of 5 key nutrients, including iron and zinc, and WIC enrollment was calculated using t-tests. Multivariate models controlling for differences in socio-demographic factors between participants and non-participants were constructed using stepwise linear regression. Children who participated in WIC had significantly higher mean daily iron (10.4 mg vs. 8.4 mg), zinc (8.6 mg vs. 7.1) and total calorie intake (1847 vs. 1565) compared to non-participants (p<0.05). In multivariate models that included race/ethnicity and program eligibility, only WIC participation and age remained significantly associated with increased intake of these nutrients. We found that WIC participation is related to improved dietary intake of key nutrients for children with moderately elevated blood lead levels despite that the non-participants were more affluent and had better educated mothers. Given the importance of these nutrients, referral to WIC should be an integral part of the case management of children with elevated blood lead levels.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: WIC, Case Management
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.