Mfa Programs

WIC saves lives and improves the health of women, infants and children at nutritional risk. The results of the studies conducted by FNS and other nongovernmental entities prove that WIC is one of the nutrition intervention programs most successful and cost effective in the country. Since its inception in 1974, the WIC program has earned a reputation as one of the nutrition programs more successful federally funded U.S.. The collective results of the studies, reviews and reports show that the WIC program is cost effective to protect or improve the health and nutrition of women, infants and children. The following highlights some of the results (including appropriate references).

• longer gestations;
• fewer premature births;
• lower incidence of weight babies moderately low and very low at birth;
• fewer infant deaths;
• more likely to receive prenatal care, and
• cost savings of health care $ 1.77 to $ 3.13 within the first 60 days after delivery. 3, 4, 5

Best Diets and Diets Related Outcomes
Studies have determined that WIC has a positive effect on children's diets and diet-related outcomes such as:

• higher average consumption of iron, vitamin C, thiamine, niacin and vitamin B6, without an increase in consumption of high-calorie foods, indicating an increase in the nutrient density of the diet, 19
• positive effects on consumption than ten nutrients without a negative effect on the levels of fat and cholesterol, 14
• more effective than other cash benefits or food stamps to enhance the consumption of key nutrients preschoolers, 14
• and a decrease in the rate of iron deficiency 7.8 percent in 1975 to 2.9 percent in 1985, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Diseases attributed to a general improvement in iron nutrition and participation in WIC and other public nutrition programs. 20

Best Infant Feeding Practices
WIC promotes breastfeeding as the optimal method of infant feeding. Studies show that:

• WIC participants who reported having received your WIC clinic's recommendation to breastfeed breastfed are more likely than other WIC participants and eligible persons who did not participate in the program. 18
• Policies and activities towards WIC breastfeeding strengthened in the early 1990s.
• Between 1996 and 2001, the percentage of participants in WIC mothers breastfeeding in the hospital increased by nearly 25 percent, from 46.6 to 58.2 percent;
• The percentage of WIC infants who breastfed at six months of age increased by 61.2 percent, from 12.9 to 20.8 percent, and
• In the case of infants consuming infant formula, 90 percent received iron-fortified formula, recommended during the first year of life most babies who are not breastfed. 1