A Qualitative Examination of California WIC Participants' and Local Agency Directors' Experiences during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The US Department of Agriculture granted waivers to allow flexibility in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) operations during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, research examining the associations between waiver introduction and changes in perceptions, practices, and challenges of WIC participants' and agency directors' experiences is limited.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess California WIC participants' and agency directors' perceptions and practices of remote WIC services during the COVID-19 pandemic. A secondary aim was to understand other COVID-19 challenges related to maintaining access to healthy foods by WIC participants.

Design: A qualitative study that included semistructured interviews was conducted between June 2020 and March 2021.

Participants and setting: One hundred eighty-two WIC participants with a child aged 0 to 5 years from three regions of California (Southern, Central, and Northern) and 22 local WIC agency directors across the state were interviewed.

Main outcome measures: WIC participants' and agency directors' perceptions, practices, and other challenges during COVID-19.

Statistical analyses performed: Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a grounded theory approach.

Results: Participants shared that they valued the information received from WIC and were very satisfied with remote WIC services. Participants reported that enrolling in WIC remotely was easier than coming in person. All waivers and changes to WIC operations, namely the physical presence, remote benefit issuance, and separation of duties waivers, and remote work and remote delivery of nutrition education, were largely viewed by WIC agency directors as options that should be continued postpandemic. Further, a majority (63%) of households reported experiencing food insecurity, and half of respondents received food from a food bank or pantry during the pandemic.

Conclusions: Findings suggest WIC will attract and retain the most families by offering a hybrid model of services, incorporating both onsite services and remote options to work more efficiently and effectively.

Keywords: COVID-19; Pandemic; Remote; Staff; WIC; Waivers.