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

Nutrition Education
WIC has undergone a process of “Revitalizing Quality Nutrition Services”. Central to the success of this
initiative are USDA’s guidelines for Value Enhanced Nutrition Assessment and Nutrition Services
Standards which focus on a participant-centered approach to nutrition education including cultural
competency. This guide provides case studies highlighting best practices integrating this approach to
providing quality nutrition services. These model programs take into account the WIC participants’
cultural preferences, eating patterns and traditions consistent with the cultural competency requirements.
WIC nutritionists integrate an understanding of how socio-cultural issues (race, ethnicity, religion, group
affiliation, socioeconomic status, and world view) affect nutrition and nutrition-related health problems.
The resource section of this guide contains a summary of the guidelines for Value Enhanced Nutrition
Assessment and Nutrition Services Standards related to cultural competency.
Obesity is an increasingly serious and widespread health problem in the United States, and, very
significantly, is becoming increasingly common among young children. The Centers for Disease Control
reported that in 2008, 14.6 percent of American children between two and five years old were obese,
which is almost triple the rate in 1971. In light of the obesity epidemic in the United States, WIC has
expanded nutrition education to promote physical activity and good exercise habits. It is important that
these initiatives address the needs of families from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Indeed,
according to the Food and Nutrition Service, Latino and Native American children have the highest
overweight prevalence (16.4% and 18.6% respectively) compared to all other WIC children.
This guide highlights seven State and ITO agencies whose nutrition education has successfully addressed
the needs of multicultural communities:
• California Fit WIC
• Motivational Interviewing (District of Columbia)
• Weigh of Life…Taking Action Together (Massachusetts)
• Wichealth.org (Michigan)
• Incorporating Traditional Foods and Recipes into Nutrition Education (Navajo Nation)
• Veggin’ Out (Rhode Island)
• Texas WIC
African American Breastfeeding Initiative
From the Food Guide Pyramid to Cooking Practices in Your Kitchen
Nutrition Education Partnerships
Effective strategies included producing multilingual flyers, DVD’s, and shopping guides, using multicultural
images in their outreach and nutrition education materials, developing new logos and taglines to increase
recognition, working with WIC vendors and collaborating with community partners. Many states have
utilized their most successful multicultural outreach and nutrition education strategies to market the new
healthier WIC food package to diverse families. A separate FRAC publication, Time for a Change,
includes additional information on these efforts.
WIC Nutrition Services funding is essential to the successful implementation of such innovative outreach
and nutrition education initiatives. Other sources of funding include WIC Special Project Grants and
Operational Adjustment Grants from the Food and Nutrition Service regional offices.
National WIC Survey
Findings from the FRAC’s WIC Directors’ Survey provide important insight into ongoing efforts to increase
access to services by conducting outreach, and providing nutrition education and referrals to WIC
participants of all cultural backgrounds.
Making WIC Work for Multicultural Communities: Best Practices Outreach and Nutrition Education 2