“Beneficiaries of WIC are low-income by definition. Many low-income folks live in low-income communities. This leads to higher rates of food insecurity and more nutrition-related health problems, like diabetes.įor the most vulnerable populations, like pregnant women and infant children, living in a food desert where there are few stores that participate in programs that can help-like WIC-makes the problem of access even more pronounced. Roughly half of the people who live in food deserts are also low income, making it that much more difficult to travel or have food delivered from areas outside their immediate residence, according to the US Department of Agriculture. In these areas, grocery stores are limited, and discount stores that have few fresh foods or fast food restaurants dominate. About 23.5 million Americans live in food deserts-or areas where it is difficult to get access to affordable and healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. The problem the research team investigates centers around an access issue.
“However, to our knowledge no identified DVS are authorized to accept WIC benefits.” Wallace, DrPH, MPA, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of North Carolina Charlotte and lead author of the study. In these communities, discount variety stores (DVS) can be convenient points of food access,” says Lauren A. “Many low-income neighborhoods do not include a full-service grocery store.
The report, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, investigated how enabling WIC participation at discount stores could help expand access to the national program. A new report investigates how living in a food desert impacts participation in the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, and what might help improve access to these programs. Millions of Americans live in areas where fresh, healthy foods are hard to come by, and where government nutrition programs offer little or no access.
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