“I Think That’s the Most Beneficial Change That WIC Has Made in a Really Long Time”: Perceptions and Awareness of an Increase in the WIC Cash Value Benefit

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Cash Value Benefit (CVB) for fruits and vegetables increased by roughly USD 25/month/person. We sought to understand WIC participant perceptions of this change and barriers and facilitators to using the CVB. We conducted 10 virtual focus groups (5 rural, 5 urban/suburban) with WIC participants (n = 55) in North Carolina in March 2022. Focus groups were recorded and transcribed. We open-coded the content and used thematic analysis to uncover consistencies within and between sampled groups. Participants expressed favorable perceptions of the CVB increase and stated the pre-pandemic CVB amount was insufficient. Barriers to using the increased CVB were identifying WIC-approved fruits and vegetables in stores and insufficient supply of fruits and vegetables. Barriers were more pronounced in rural groups. Facilitators of CVB use were existing household preferences for fruits and vegetables and the variety of products that can be purchased with CVB relative to other components of the WIC food package. Participants felt the CVB increase allowed their families to eat a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. The CVB increase may improve fruit and vegetable intake, particularly if made permanent, but barriers to CVB and WIC benefit use may limit the potential impact.

Improving Fruit and Vegetable Accessibility, Purchasing, and Consumption to Advance Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the United States

“…Duffy et al (2022) [ 74 ] explored awareness, barriers and facilitators, and perceived impact of the higher allotment for FVs among WIC participants in North Carolina. Martinez et al (2022) [ 75 ] explored satisfaction and use of the higher FV allotment among WIC participants in southern California.…”

“…Martinez et al (2022) [ 75 ] explored satisfaction and use of the higher FV allotment among WIC participants in southern California. Results from both studies indicated WIC participants believed the prior allotment for FVs was too low to support accessing adequate variety and quality of FVs [ 74 , 75 ]. Martinez and colleagues also find evidence that the increased FV allotment not only favorability impacted WIC participants, but also improved FV accessibility/consumption for other household members [ 75 ].…”

“…Martinez and colleagues also find evidence that the increased FV allotment not only favorability impacted WIC participants, but also improved FV accessibility/consumption for other household members [ 75 ]. Duffy and colleagues did find persistent barriers such as social stigma, FV accessibility, and policy dissemination issues described among WIC participants [ 74 ]. As such, while the USDA should consider a permanent increase in the dollar allotment for FVs in the WIC benefit package to improve dietary quality [ 74 , 75 ], these key barriers require attention to center equity [ 74 ].…”

“…Duffy and colleagues did find persistent barriers such as social stigma, FV accessibility, and policy dissemination issues described among WIC participants [ 74 ]. As such, while the USDA should consider a permanent increase in the dollar allotment for FVs in the WIC benefit package to improve dietary quality [ 74 , 75 ], these key barriers require attention to center equity [ 74 ].…”

Caregivers’ Perceived Impact of WIC’s Temporary Cash-Value Benefit (CVB) Increases on Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing, Consumption, and Access in Massachusetts

“…Recent studies in California [ 25 , 26 ], North Carolina [ 27 ], and Delaware [ 28 ] suggest that this temporary increase is highly valued by WIC caregivers and may be linked with improvements in FV affordability, purchasing, and consumption, as well as overall WIC satisfaction. However, research on the perceived impact of this emergent temporary increase remains limited to mostly qualitative studies [ 25 , 27 , 28 ]. It is also unclear whether any potential benefits or impacts of the CVB increase may have been mitigated by structural inequities in access to FV.…”