Contractor and Cooperator Reports No. (CCR-27) 41 pp
Effects of WIC and Food Stamp Program Participation on Child Outcomes
Both joint or separate participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Food Stamp Program reduces the risk of child abuse or neglect and several nutrition-relat-ed health problems, such as anemia, failure to thrive, and nutritional deficiency. This study examines the relation-ship between WIC and Food Stamp Program participation and young children’s health and mistreatment outcomes. The analysis uses a unique individual-level longitudinal database that links administrative datasets on WIC and Food Stamp Program participation, Medicaid enrollment and claims, and child abuse and neglect reports in Illinois.
This study was conducted by the University of Chicago under a cooperative research contract with USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) Food and Nutrition Assistance Research Program (FANRP): contract number 43-3AEM-1-80081 (ERS project representative: T. Alexander Majchrowicz). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ERS or USDA. In addition, readers are cautioned that the term “participation” in this study differs from its traditional measure, in that it includes only children who enroll in WIC or the Food Stamp Program prior to being diagnosed with any of the outcomes under study. Children who enroll in WIC or the Food Stamp Program after a diagnosis are included in the“nonparticipant” category.
Keywords: Food assistance, nutrition, Food Stamp Program, food stamps, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, WIC, Medicaid, child abuse, child neglect, Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program, FANRP
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