An update to the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program now allows its low-income participants access to more nutritious foods, including canned fish and beans, whole grains such as quinoa and cornmeal and more fruits and vegetables.
Kentucky’s Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Steven Stack says that most Kentuckians do not have the nourishment they need. According to a Kentucky Health Issues Poll, less than 25% of Kentuckians eat the recommended fruits and vegetables a day.
“It’s important that in a program like WIC, where we’re dealing with women who have just had new children or young children, and those children who are at the outset of life, that they have healthy eating habits established early,” Stack said.
According to Feeding America’s Kentucky's Heartland, one in five children in the Bluegrass State face food insecurity, which is similar to the national average.
But, just having access to food isn’t as helpful to participants as having access to food rich in vitamins and nutrients. Kentucky has the second highest ranking in the country for obesity in children aged 10-17. In the Bluegrass State, 42% of children in that age range are considered obese – more than double the national rate. Stack said having more fruits and vegetables on the menu will help reduce the risks of health issues for children in the state.
“[These] are really important steps to try to set our youngest Kentuckians on a good path to good health for the rest of their life,” Stack said.
Monthly rates under the new expansion will see children ages 1-4 in the program receive $24, $43 for pregnant and postpartum women and $47 for breastfeeding women.
Although the program – which currently serves more than 100,000 Kentuckians – is expanding to offer more nutritious foods, it still faces barriers.
Tanya Torp is the executive director of Step by Step, a nonprofit that assists young mothers in Lexington. She said that most families do not realize they are even eligible for WIC.
“I think that sometimes, especially when people are giving birth, they may mention [WIC] in the hospitals, but we need a lot more pediatricians to mention it and a lot of other helping fields like educators,” Torp said.
Torp said another issue families face is the technology to use WIC. Step by Step has studied other states’ WIC systems and she said they’ve found them to be easier to use than the one implemented in Kentucky.
“They can tell you exactly what grocery store has, exactly what you’re looking for,” Torp said. “There are even some that do training for grocery store clerks to assist you when you come in and need help. And those improvements would be huge for our families.”
The federal WIC program serves over six million mothers and children across the nation, including more than 155,000 Tennesseans and north of 165,000 people in Illinois. More information about WIC – including eligibility requirements – can be found online.
