Abstract
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants faced unprecedented challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic including financial concerns, a national infant formula shortage, and rising food costs. To mitigate these challenges, the United States Department of Agriculture implemented WIC program waivers and flexibilities aiming to simplify program operations (e.g., remote appointments and food package substitutions). However, little is known about WIC participants’ perceptions of these changes and their impact on in-store benefit redemption. As such, this study aimed to characterize how pandemic-related events impacted Delaware WIC participants’ shopping experiences and program perceptions. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 51 WIC participants in Wilmington, Delaware. Survey measures included demographic questions, the Hunger Vital Sign, and open-ended questions regarding WIC program participation experiences during the pandemic. Data were analyzed using a hybrid inductive and deductive coding approach. The results demonstrate that WIC participants benefitted from the pandemic program’s flexibilities. However, they continued to experience burdensome shopping trips as well as concerns about their ability to feed their families due to infant formula shortages and inflation. These findings indicate the importance of extending existing WIC flexibilities and providing continued support for both participants and WIC-authorized retailors.
Funder
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Subject
Food Science,Nutrition and Dietetics
Reference39 articles.
1. The Socio-Economic Implications of the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19): A Review;Nicola;Int. J. Surg.,2020
2. Economic and Social Consequences of COVID-19 and Mental Health Burden among Latinx Young Adults during the 2020 Pandemic;Villatoro;J. Lat. Psychol.,2022
3. Impact of the 2020 Pandemic of COVID-19 on Families with School-Aged Children in the United States: Roles of Income Level and Race;Chen;J. Fam. Issues,2022
4. (2022, December 14). Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Tracking the COVID-19 Economy’s Effects on Food, Housing, and Employment Hardships. Available online: https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-economys-effects-on-food-housing-and.
5. World Health Organization (2022, December 14). Impact of COVID-19 on People’s Livelihoods, Their Health and Our Food Systems. Available online: https://www.who.int/news/item/13-10-2020-impact-of-covid-19-on-people’s-livelihoods-their-health-and-our-food-systems.
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献