Presented by:Lorrene Ritchie, PhD, RDLoan P. Kim, PhD, RD

Significant improvement in dietary quality including the addition of fruit and vegetables

1. Examine participant utilization and satisfaction with jarred baby foods

2. Assess preference for fruit and vegetable vouchers versus jarred baby foods

3. Examine whether preferences varied among selected ethnic groups

Multiple methods

Data drawn from three sources: 1. California Nutrition Education and Food Package

Impact (NEFPI) study survey of WIC participants statewide

2. California WIC redemption data

3. Interviews with subset of WIC participants and staff in LA County

Phone survey (Mar–May 2010) Participants: 2996 women

◦ 9% pregnant, 14% breastfeeding◦ ~29 years old◦ 81% Latino

Questions:◦ “How satisfied are you with the voucher for fruit and

vegetables?” ◦ “How satisfied are you with the WIC checks for jarred

baby food?” ◦ “If you had a choice of either continuing to receive

WIC checks for jarred baby food or receiving a voucher to buy fruit and vegetables for your baby, which would you choose?”

Examined all infant food checks which contained jarred fruit/vegetables

Calculated as a percentage of checks redeemed to checks issued (Mar-Oct 2010)

200,000 infants per month: ◦ 74.8% Latino◦ 9.2% White◦ 6.5% African-American ◦ 5.1% Asian◦ 4.4% other

Examined by ethnic group & age of infants

One-on-one interviews (Oct 09-Jun 10) 20 WIC Participants:

◦ ~26 years old ◦ Enrolled in WIC for more than 1 year◦ All Mexican; half born in the U.S.

16 WIC Staff:◦ ~29 years old◦ All Latino; 65% born in the U.S.

Topics:◦ 1) using the cash vouchers to purchase fruit &

vegetables◦ 2) using jarred baby food◦ 3) preference for cash vouchers or jarred baby foods

"They are good. When I go to the store, my daughter can choose which fruits she wants. “

"I wish they would give more checks for fruit and vegetables.”

"Families can always use more fruit and vegetables.”

"Can I have more money to buy fruit and vegetables? I like to make my own food for my kids. It's better I think.”

"When I am out, it's so easy to have [jarred baby foods]. But they give us too many. I can never finish them and sometimes they expire."

◦ "They like the vouchers for the fruit and vegetables. Jar baby foods – they don’t use them; they make their own baby foods and they don’t want it. I would suggest they give the women the option of fruit and vegetable vouchers so they can make their own baby food.”

◦ "For a long time we were telling them it was better to make their own baby food…But now we’re telling them to get baby food. It’s mixed messages. In Hispanic culture we’re not big on jar food. If they got more money for the fruit and vegetables, it would be much better. “

Addition of jarred baby foods to the infant food package has been well received overall by participants

As babies get older, mothers want the option to choose between jarred baby foods and cash vouchers for fruit and vegetables in order to prepare their own baby foods

Pilot study is needed to explore the feasibility of allowing states to offer older infants the choice of fruit and vegetable checks instead of jarred baby foods

Thank you!&

Questions???Loan.kim@pepperdine.edu

Lorrene_ritchie@sbcglobal.net