Participation in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program: A Synthesis of the Literature

Molly Sheridan (1) , Coline Ferrant (2)

1 University of Wisconsin-Madison
2 American University of Central Asia’s Technical School of Innovation

This paper synthesizes the academic and professional literature about participation in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program in the United States. First, we compile evidence about differences in enrollment, perceptions, and experiences by eligible populations (women, infants, children) and by social categories (e.g., race, educational attainment, immigration status). Second, we describe barriers to participation through a twofold typology: operational and systemic. Operational barriers concern the perceived hassle of several aspects of WIC, and systemic barriers involve issues of stigma, fear, access, and language.

Keywords: social inequality; nutritional risk; public assistance program; USA

Domains: Humanities and Social Sciences; Sociology

Molly Sheridan, Coline Ferrant. Participation in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program: A Synthesis of the Literature. 2022. ⟨hal-03521082⟩