Association of WIC Participation and Growth and Developmental Outcomes in High-Risk Infants

Ashwini Lakshmanan; Ashley Y Song; Nicole Flores-Fenlon; Urvashi Parti; Douglas L Vanderbilt; Philippe S Friedlich; Roberta Williams; Michele Kipke

doi:10.1177/0009922819884583

Association of WIC Participation and Growth and Developmental Outcomes in High-Risk Infants

Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2020 Jan;59(1):53-61. doi: 10.1177/0009922819884583. Epub 2019 Oct 31.

Authors

Ashwini Lakshmanan^{1

2

3}, Ashley Y Song^{1

2}, Nicole Flores-Fenlon⁴, Urvashi Parti¹, Douglas L Vanderbilt^{1

5}, Philippe S Friedlich¹, Roberta Williams⁶, Michele Kipke⁷

Affiliations

¹ Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
² Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
³ Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁴ USC/LAC+USC Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program, Division of Neonatology, LAC+USC Medical Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁵ Division of General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁶ Division of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁷ Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe the association of enrollment in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and infant growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Z scores and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley-III) and Vineland Adaptive/Behavior Scale-II (VABS-II) scores represented primary outcomes. We conducted bivariate analyses and linear regression. Children who were enrolled in WIC or WIC/SNAP had weight z scores U (95% confidence interval [CI]) that were 1.32 (0.42-2.21) or 1.19 (0.16-2.23) units higher. Enrollment in WIC or WIC/SNAP was associated with a higher score (95% CI) of 11.7 U (1.2-22.2 U) or 11.5 (0.1-22.9) for Bayley-III cognitive score and 10.1 U (1.9-19.1 U) or 10.3 (0.9-19.7) for the VABS-II composite score. These findings support increased advocacy for participation in WIC or WIC/SNAP for families with high-risk infants.

Keywords: Growth; WIC; development; outcomes.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anthropometry
Child Development*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Food Assistance*
Humans
Infant
Los Angeles
Male
Surveys and Questionnaires
Vulnerable Populations

Grants and funding

KL2 TR001854/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States