Making WIC Work for Multicultural Communities - Food Research ...

WIChealth.org
Agency Name
Michigan Department of Community Health, WIC Division
Project Description
The WIChealth.org website project delivers high quality
web-based education on nutrition and physical activity
to WIC participants. It is a partnership between the
Michigan WIC State Agency, WIC State Agencies in
several other states (Delaware, Illinois, Indiana,
Minnesota, Ohio, North Carolina Utah, Washington, and
Wisconsin), and Western Michigan University. The
website provides interactive, learner-centered nutrition
education to WIC participants in all of the partner states.
Project Name
Nutrition Education for the Internet Project
“This is a great example
of a partnership between
WIC and a university.”
-Judith Anderson
Addressing Language Barriers
In an effort to be accessible to families of diverse linguistic
backgrounds, the website is available in English and Spanish and will possibly be translated into Arabic
and Chinese as well. The wording is kept simple in order to be accessible to participants of all literacy
levels.
Increasing Access for Working Families
In addition, the website increases access to nutrition education for working families. It allows
participants who cannot attend nutrition education classes because of work, school, or lack of
transportation to get nutrition education at home or during breaks at work. In addition, many WIC
participants lack child care and are often forced to bring their children to nutrition education classes. This
can be distracting for all participants in attendance and the website allows participants to complete their
nutrition education requirement in their own time and without worrying about their children.
Nutrition Education Modules
The project’s steering committee, which is comprised of representatives from all seven WIC State
Agencies, develops online nutrition education modules based on participant needs and interests. The site
currently includes ten modules, each covering a different child nutrition topic, including:
• child feeding (“Create Good Eating Habits in Your Child”),
• breastfeeding (“Support for Breastfeeding Moms”), and
• physical activity (“Happy, Healthy, Active Children”).
Fruit and vegetable modules have just recently been added to the website to educate WIC participants
about the changes to the WIC food package.
The modules are based on the stages of change theory developed by Dr. Robert Bensley at Western
Michigan University (www.cdc.gov/PCD/issues/2004/oct/pdf/04_0070.pdf). Participants choose a module
and answer a set of questions that places them in one of the five stages of change: (1) precontemplation;
(2) contemplation; (3) preparation; (4) action; and (5) maintenance. Based on their
stage of change, participants are provided with stage-specific nutrition education addressing their chosen
topic. They are given easy and practical action steps to help them reach their behavior change goals.
Making WIC Work for Multicultural Communities: Best Practices in Outreach and Nutrition Education 42