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BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

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01-12-2020 | Prenatal Care | Research article

The effect of women, infant, and children (WIC) services on birth weight before and during the 2007–2009 great recession in Washington state and Florida: a pooled cross-sectional time series analysis

Authors: Erin L. Blakeney, Jerald R. Herting, Brenda Kaye Zierler, Betty Bekemeier

Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth | Issue 1/2020

Abstract

Background

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has been shown to have positive effects in promoting healthy birth outcomes in the United States. We explored whether such effects held prior to and during the most recent Great Recession to improve birth outcomes and reduce differences among key socio-demographic groups.

Methods

We used a pooled cross-sectional time series design to study pregnant women and their infants with birth certificate data. We included Medicaid and uninsured births from Washington State and Florida (n = 226,835) before (01/2005–03/2007) and during (12/2007–06/2009) the Great Recession. Interactions between WIC enrollment and key socio-demographic groupings were analyzed for binary and continuous birth weight outcomes.

Results

Our study found beneficial WIC interaction effects on birth weight. For race, prenatal care, and maternal age we found significantly better birth weight outcomes in the presence of WIC compared to those without WIC. For example, being Black with WIC was associated with an increase in infant birth weight of 53.5 g (baseline) (95% CI = 32.4, 74.5) and 58.0 g (recession) (95% CI = 27.8, 88.3). For most groups this beneficial relationship was stable over time.

Conclusions

This paper supports previous research linking maternal utilization of WIC services during pregnancy to improved birth weight (both reducing LBW and increasing infant birth weight in grams) among some high-disadvantage groups. WIC appears to have been beneficial at decreasing disparity gaps in infant birth weight among the very young, Black, and late/no prenatal care enrollees in this high-need population, both before and during the Great Recession. Gaps are still present among other social and demographic characteristic groups (e.g., for unmarried mothers) for whom we did not find WIC to be associated with any detectable value in promoting better birth weight outcomes. Future research needs to examine how WIC (and/or other maternal and child health programs) could be made to work better and reach farther to address persistent disparities in birth weight outcomes. Additionally, in preparation for future economic downturns it will be important to determine how to preserve and, if possible, expand WIC services during times of increased need.

Trial registration

Not applicable, this article reports only on secondary retrospective data (no health interventions with human participants were carried out).

Available only for authorised users

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Title: The effect of women, infant, and children (WIC) services on birth weight before and during the 2007–2009 great recession in Washington state and Florida: a pooled cross-sectional time series analysis
Authors: Erin L. Blakeney
Jerald R. Herting
Brenda Kaye Zierler
Betty Bekemeier
Publication date: 01-12-2020
Publisher: BioMed Central
Keyword: Prenatal Care
Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2393
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-02937-5

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The effect of women, infant, and children (WIC) services on birth weight before and during the 2007–2009 great recession in Washington state and Florida: a pooled cross-sectional time series analysis

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Trial registration

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Trial registration

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