The purpose of this study is to collect and compile data on participant and program characteristics to support the management, evaluation, and improvement of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The study includes 3 key components:
- Collect and compile data collected by State agencies
- Create descriptive data files on a census of WIC participants in all 88 State agencies (i.e., the 50 States, the District of Columbia, 5 territories, and 32 Tribal Organizations).
- Produce dissemination products of participant and program characteristics.
WIC Participant and Program Characteristics (PC) 2024 will continue the compilation of data on current participants and program characteristics that began in 1984 and became biennial starting in 1988, making these the latest such reports to help the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) address the need for program information on WIC. Major topics of the reports include demographic characteristics of WIC participants, income and nutrition risk characteristics of WIC participants, national estimates of breastfeeding initiation for infants, and food package data. For the first time in PC2024, the team will also collect longitudinal data to track information on participants over time, and electronic benefit transfer (EBT) data to help understand purchasing patterns and food costs.