The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #65084

Patti L. Paddock, MPH, CHES¹, Carol Chase, MS, RD¹, Patricia Costanza, CEO², and Dorothy Place, PhD². (1) California Department of Health Services, Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Branch, 3901 Lennane Drive, Sacramento, CA 95834, 916-443-0588, ppaddock@dhs.ca.gov, (2) TMD Group, 2775 Cottage Way, Suite 15, Sacramento, CA 95825

Objectives

1. To identify methods to improve WIC outreach efforts to increase participation of the under-served and the “working poor” eligible populations.

2. To identify WIC eligible’s level of awareness, knowledge and perceptions about the California WIC program.

3. To identify perceived enrollment barriers and needs of WIC eligibles to enroll in WIC.

4. Assess WIC eligibles willingness to participate in the WIC program once enrollment criteria are known.

Methods:

Eight focus groups of 80 WIC eligible women were conducted statewide. WIC eligible respondents were income eligible and were either pregnant, and/or had children under age five and had never participated in the program. Respondents included 41% African American; 29% Caucasian; 21% Hispanic and 9 % Vietnamese. Special recruitment efforts were made to target the “working poor”.

Results:

Most women were somewhat knowledgeable about the WIC program but unclear on program eligibility requirements, program benefits and services. Most women did not think they were program eligible. Once informed that they were eligible, most women felt that it was not worth the effort and they preferred to leave the benefits for “women in greater need than themselves”. Many women perceive WIC as a program for women on welfare. Suggested outreach methods for reaching specific racial and ethnic groups were also identified.

Conclusions:

Promoting specific program services, benefits, eligibility requirements, could be central to increasing the enrollment of the "working poor" in Federal nutrition programs such as WIC. In addition, efforts should be made to change the "welfare image" of these programs.

Learning Objectives:

• To list 2 methods to improve outreach efforts to increase participation of the under-served and the "working poor"in a Federal Nutrition Program.
• To describe WIC eligible’s level of awareness, knowledge and perceptions about the California WIC program.
• To list at least 2 perceived enrollment barriers and needs of WIC eligibles to enroll in WIC.
• To identify at least 1 barrier to WIC eligibles willingness to participate in the WIC program once enrollment criteria are known.

Keywords: WIC, Needs Assessment

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.