WIC PROVIDES WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN WITH NEW, HEALTHIER FOOD OPTIONS TO PROMOTE HEALTY LIFESTYLES
October 2009
A healthy diet is one of the most effective tools in preventative health care. Encouraging healthy eating habits from an early age helps promote healthy life styles, reduces obesity and lessens the risks for disease and chronic health problems including heart disease and type two diabetes.
For the last 30 years the Cincinnati Health Department’s (CHD) Women Infant and Children (WIC) Program, a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program, has been serving income-eligible (up to 185 percent of the poverty level) pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to 5 years old who meet nutritional or health risks.
CHD runs the WIC program which serves all of Hamilton County. We assist approximately 22,000 clients at 16 offices. There is a WIC office in the five CHD health centers. The scope of the program attests to our commitment to reach as many clients as possible to provide them with quality preventative care.
In order to enhance the program, Cincinnati WIC is now providing, new healthier food options for women and children. These food options will increase WIC’s ability to prevent nutrition-related health problems for its clients.
The new food changes follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and focus on foods lower in fat and higher in fiber. The WIC food packages supplement diets with foods that are more culturally diverse, commonly consumed and rich in 5 target nutrients known to be lacking in the diets of the WIC population—Vitamins A and C, Calcium, Iron and Protein. This will help WIC clients maintain healthy weights, decrease risks of certain diseases and increase breastfeeding rates.
Some of the new food offerings include 2 percent, 1 percent or skim milk. Previously, all clients could choose whole milk, but now WIC is promoting lower fat milk choices. Only children from 12-24 months of age will receive whole milk (higher fat).
Furthermore, WIC encourages mothers to breast-feed children since breastfeeding is critical in protecting children from health issues, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes, GI infections (diarrhea) and lower respiratory infections. WIC provides education and classes, along with other resources to increase breast-feeding numbers.
Clients can also receive whole grain breads, cereals and tortillas; vouchers for fresh, canned or frozen fruits and vegetables, brown rice, baby foods and infant cereal. Other healthy food options such as tofu and soymilk will soon be available. Mothers can also use their voucher at Farmer’s Market venues.
WIC provides clients with nutrition information and education. To establish a lasting habit of healthy diets, WIC offers nutrition education to help clients understand healthy food choices and develop long-term healthy diets.
These healthy food choices and maternal health education are paying of in improved infant vitality. Infant deaths are less for Cincinnati WIC enrollees and for African American babies the death rate was twice as low when compared to African American babies not enrolled in WIC.
WIC also offers other services to improve clients’ health, specifically through community partnerships with CHD programs and outside organizations in a wide spectrum of areas. Some of these partnerships include CHD’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, immunization screening, smoking intervention, the Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, and offers referrals to health and human service programs.
Help us spread the word about this critically important program which impacts so many lives. For more information about the WIC program please call 513-821-7012 or visit http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/health/pages/-14133-/ .
October 2009
A healthy diet is one of the most effective tools in preventative health care. Encouraging healthy eating habits from an early age helps promote healthy life styles, reduces obesity and lessens the risks for disease and chronic health problems including heart disease and type two diabetes.
For the last 30 years the Cincinnati Health Department’s (CHD) Women Infant and Children (WIC) Program, a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program, has been serving income-eligible (up to 185 percent of the poverty level) pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to 5 years old who meet nutritional or health risks.
CHD runs the WIC program which serves all of Hamilton County. We assist approximately 22,000 clients at 16 offices. There is a WIC office in the five CHD health centers. The scope of the program attests to our commitment to reach as many clients as possible to provide them with quality preventative care.
In order to enhance the program, Cincinnati WIC is now providing, new healthier food options for women and children. These food options will increase WIC’s ability to prevent nutrition-related health problems for its clients.
The new food changes follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and focus on foods lower in fat and higher in fiber. The WIC food packages supplement diets with foods that are more culturally diverse, commonly consumed and rich in 5 target nutrients known to be lacking in the diets of the WIC population—Vitamins A and C, Calcium, Iron and Protein. This will help WIC clients maintain healthy weights, decrease risks of certain diseases and increase breastfeeding rates.
Some of the new food offerings include 2 percent, 1 percent or skim milk. Previously, all clients could choose whole milk, but now WIC is promoting lower fat milk choices. Only children from 12-24 months of age will receive whole milk (higher fat).
Furthermore, WIC encourages mothers to breast-feed children since breastfeeding is critical in protecting children from health issues, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes, GI infections (diarrhea) and lower respiratory infections. WIC provides education and classes, along with other resources to increase breast-feeding numbers.
Clients can also receive whole grain breads, cereals and tortillas; vouchers for fresh, canned or frozen fruits and vegetables, brown rice, baby foods and infant cereal. Other healthy food options such as tofu and soymilk will soon be available. Mothers can also use their voucher at Farmer’s Market venues.
WIC provides clients with nutrition information and education. To establish a lasting habit of healthy diets, WIC offers nutrition education to help clients understand healthy food choices and develop long-term healthy diets.
These healthy food choices and maternal health education are paying of in improved infant vitality. Infant deaths are less for Cincinnati WIC enrollees and for African American babies the death rate was twice as low when compared to African American babies not enrolled in WIC.
WIC also offers other services to improve clients’ health, specifically through community partnerships with CHD programs and outside organizations in a wide spectrum of areas. Some of these partnerships include CHD’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, immunization screening, smoking intervention, the Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, and offers referrals to health and human service programs.
Help us spread the word about this critically important program which impacts so many lives. For more information about the WIC program please call 513-821-7012 or visit http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/health/pages/-14133-/ .
