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Did Revisions to the WIC Program Affect Household Expenditures on Whole Grains?

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  • Miyoung Oh
  • Helen H. Jensen
  • Ilya Rahkovsky

Abstract

The food packages provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program changed in 2009. This article examines purchases of whole grain products before and after the change. Nielsen Homescan panel data from 2008 to 2010 provide information on households’ food purchases, demographics, and self-reported WIC participation status. We estimate the effect of WIC participation and the 2009 package change on whole grains purchases using a difference-in-difference method, and find that participation in the WIC program was associated with more whole grain purchases during the observed period; the package change in 2009 roughly doubled the associated effect of WIC participation on the purchases of whole grain products. These results are consistent with recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and suggest that moderate innovations in the design of food assistance programs can lead to beneficial dietary choices.

Suggested Citation

  • Miyoung Oh & Helen H. Jensen & Ilya Rahkovsky, 2016. "Did Revisions to the WIC Program Affect Household Expenditures on Whole Grains?," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 38(4), pages 578-598.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:apecpp:v:38:y:2016:i:4:p:00-00.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/aepp/ppw020
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Shaonan & Zhen, Chen, 2022. "The Impact of the 2009 WIC Food Package Revision on Participants’ Food and Beverage Purchases," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322390, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Elina T Page & Elizabeth Larimore & John A Kirlin & Mark Denbaly, 2019. "The National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey: Innovations and Research Insights," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(2), pages 215-234, June.
    3. Irma Arteaga & Colleen Heflin & Sarah Parsons, 2019. "Design Flaws: Consequences of the Coverage Gap in Food Programs for Children at Kindergarten Entry," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(2), pages 265-283, June.
    4. Alyssa J. Moran & Yuxuan Gu & Sasha Clynes & Attia Goheer & Christina A. Roberto & Anne Palmer, 2020. "Associations between Governmental Policies to Improve the Nutritional Quality of Supermarket Purchases and Individual, Retailer, and Community Health Outcomes: An Integrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-23, October.
    5. Luo, Yufeng & Smith,, Travis A. & Chen,, Feifei, 2022. "Prediction of WIC Program Participation: A Machine Learning Approach to Fix Reporting Error," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322555, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Di Fang & Michael R. Thomsen & Rodolfo M. Nayga & Aaron M. Novotny, 2019. "WIC Participation and Relative Quality of Household Food Purchases: Evidence from FoodAPS," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(1), pages 83-105, July.
    7. Stewart, Hayden & Dong, Diansheng & Hyman, Jeffrey & McLaughlin, Patrick W., 2017. "The Availability and Demand for Whole-wheat Bread among WIC Households," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 259161, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Ismail, Mehreen & Wilde, Parke E. & Ver Ploeg, Michele L., 2018. "Household Structure and SNAP's Effect on Food Spending," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273902, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    WIC program; household food purchases; health; diet;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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