At A Glance
Noteworthy Characteristics
- Provides a census of all individuals enrolled in WIC in April 2018
- Includes information on breastfeeding initiation and duration
- Measured length/height and weight of WIC participants
- Includes state and national-level data
Website
https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-participant-and-program-characteristics-2018
Purpose
The WIC Participant and Program Characteristics Study summarizes the demographic characteristics of participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nationwide. It includes information on participant income and nutrition risk characteristics, estimates breastfeeding initiation rates for WIC infants, and describes WIC members of migrant farm-worker families.
Target Population
WIC participants
Conducted
Last conducted in 2018 and released in 2020.
Sponsor
United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
Contact: OPSDataRequests@usda.gov
Sampling
Sample Design
Biennial cross-sectional census of all WIC participants enrolled at the time of the reference month of April 2018
Source of Information
WIC State Agencies Management Information Systems
Annual Reference Date
April 2018
Sample Size
Study is a census of approximately 7.8 million individuals. The public-use dataset is a subset of 60,003 individuals, weighted to be nationally representative.
Key Variables
Demographic
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Participant Category | |
| Race | |
| Ethnicity | |
| Migrant Status | |
| Age at WIC certification | |
| Trimester at WIC certification | |
| Risk priority level | |
| Annual income level | |
| Size of family/household |
Diet-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration | |
| Participation in other benefit programs (TANF, SNAP) |
Weight-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Measured length/height and weight of participants |
Jurisdiction
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| National and State Level Data |
Geographic Identifiers
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| State; urban/rural on census dataset |
Nutritional Status
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Participant nutrition risk category | |
| Participant anemia status |
Data Access and Cost
Data Availability
Data can be requested by contacting OPSDataRequests@usda.gov
2016 public-use data is available for download on Ag Data Commons: https://data.nal.usda.gov/dataset/wic-participant-and-program-characteristics-2016
2018 public-use data will be uploaded to Ag Data Commons.
Cost
Free of charge
Geocode/Linkage
Geocode Variable(s)
n/a
Existing Linkages
n/a
Selected Publications
General
WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2016: https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-participant-and-program-characteristics-2016
WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2018: https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-participant-and-program-characteristics-2018
Weight-Related
Freedman, D. S., Sharma, A. J., Hamner, H. C., Pan, L., Panzera, A., Smith, R. B., & Blanck, H. M. (2017). Trends in weight-for-length among infants in WIC from 2000 to 2014. Pediatrics, 139(1), e20162034.
Pan L, Blanck HM, Park S, et al. State-Specific Prevalence of Obesity Among Children Aged 2-4 Years Enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children - United States, 2010-2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68(46):1057-1061. Published 2019 Nov 22. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6846a3
Resources
National WIC Association WIC Participant and Program Characteristics FAQs: https://www.nwica.org/blog/wic-participant-and-program-characteristics-faqs#.X-pMKNhKiUk
