A History Of The Wic Program

Introduction

Men and women have been struggling to take care of their families financially for a very long time. There seemed to be more people than there were jobs. Up until the 1960's, the nation's lower class families were noticed more in health care facilities from lack of food and diseases caused from being so malnourished. A program then came into play called Women, Infants, and Children, also known by its acronym WIC.

For years, the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program has been in place for millions of women who cannot provide for their children all on their own. This program is in place to provide the essential nutrients, proper health screenings and all around advice for pregnant, lactating/breastfeeding, post-partum women,

This program helps so many individuals who are unable to provide for themselves and their family, that without it, they could potentially be out on the street, sick and hungry. Even though there are other supplemental programs that they could try to receive, WIC provides the essentials that are geared specifically for your family's needs.

History of WIC?

The Women, Infant and children (WIC) program is a supplemental food program that benefits millions of women who are pregnant, lactating/breastfeeding, post-partum, infants who are under one year of age and children who are under five years of age who are also at a nutritional risk and/or who have a low income. This program offers nutritional advice for mothers who have any questions along the way, helps with getting them the health screenings needed and all around any health questions that need answered (Kane 1990).

In 1968, the USDA and the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) were seeing more young women and often pregnant women in the health care facilities mostly due to being malnourished and/or having some type of risk that would qualify them for financial assistance. The doctors from the HEW and USDA met together and formed food commissaries that would allow them to prescribe food vouchers/checks for the women to take to one and receive a food package

If they're accepted, they will be asked to bring in any children that they want on the program to receive the benefits, too.

According to the article about WIC and breastfeeding by Katsaras et al, the WIC program helps with breastfeeding and lactating mothers. It also states the multiple ways that breastfeeding a child for the first year of their life can improve their life in the long run no matter their socioeconomic status.

How is WIC viewed by the American people?

The WIC program is viewed differently by each individual in the states. If you're a participant you're going to like the program, if you're not a participant, you're not going to be a fan. Many of the non - participants believe that this program is just another hand out like they believe that many other supplemental food benefits are such as food stamps. Many of the people believe that the participants need to work and if they do so, then they wouldn't need to be on such a program. Non-participants don't understand that even if the participants are working, they may not make enough to still provide for their family. Especially the more healthy choices because some of them can be more expensive than other quick, non - healthy options. Many non – participants of the program also think that they're the only ones that pay to help fund the program,