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Fit
WIC
Project
Background
The
Surgeon General has alerted the nation to the rapidly
rising rate of childhood obesity, particularly among low-income
children of color. The predicted consequences of this
epidemic, both for our nation's health and for our economy,
motivate a strong effort to confront its causes and work
toward its prevention.
In
1998, the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded
a childhood obesity prevention initiative called Fit WIC.
The purpose of this initiative was to examine how the
Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program
(WIC) could better respond to the issue of childhood obesity.
The USDA recognized that WIC has widespread access to
the population of young low-income children that is at
greatest risk for obesity, and that reaching very young
children is critical to any prevention strategy.
Fit
WIC Participants
Five Fit WIC projects were funded for three years: California,
Kentucky, Vermont, Virginia and the Inter Tribal Council
of Arizona. In each of the five projects, state WIC programs
partnered with Social Scientists to assess their respective
WIC environments (year 1) and then to develop (year 2)
and evaluate (year 3) obesity prevention interventions.
The
Five Fit WIC Projects
Below is a summary of each project. For
information about each project, click
on the appropriate Fit WIC name.
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Fit
WIC California Fit WIC California utilized a
multi-faceted community-based model called the Spectrum
of Prevention to address childhood overweight on
six levels, including improving individual education
and sharing of information, expanding staff training
and supporting staff as role models, working with
communities and coalitions, changing organizational
practices, and examining local and legislative policies
that affect the social and physical environments
in which people live.
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Recognizing
that many WIC paraprofessional staff are uncomfortable
discussing overweight with caregivers, Fit
WIC ITCA worked with staff to improve their
own nutrition and physical activity while providing
additional education, tools and resources for staff
to use when counseling families about overweight
prevention.
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Fit
WIC Kentucky developed a documentary style video
to determine if viewing the video, followed by facilitated
group discussion (FGD), could alter the perceptions
of those providing public health nutrition services
about the barriers and solutions to addressing the
problem of obesity in low-income preschoolers.
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Fit
WIC Virginia: A primary prevention project based
on the Social Cognitive Theory and conducted within
the current clinic framework, Fit WIC Virginia involved
parents, staff and the community to impact overweight
prevention through role modeling and anticipatory
guidance.
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To
address the need to increase active playtime and
decrease sedentary time as a key means to impact
obesity prevention, Fit
WIC Vermont used Social Cognitive Theory to
develop a comprehensive, hands-on activity kit for
preschoolers and their parents.
Assessment
Findings
During the year of assessment, the Fit WIC teams learned
a great deal about the issue of obesity, particularly
how it pertains to WIC participants, staff, and communities.
While the teams had been aware of the multiple etiologies
associated with overweight among children, such as genetics,
the environment, low levels of physical activity, high
levels of sedentary activity, and unhealthy eating behaviors,
their research demonstrated that in the WIC setting:
Program
Contacts
Fit
WIC California
Poppy Strode, MS, MPH, RD
Project Co-Manager
Department of Health Services, WIC Branch
Phone: 916-928-8627
E-mail: mstrode@dhs.ca.gov
Fit WIC Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
Mindy Tomkins, RD
WIC Director
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
Phone: 802-307-1511
E-mail: mindy.tomkins@itcaonline.com
Fit
WIC Kentucky
Fran Hawkins, RD, MS
Manager, Nutrition Services Branch
Kentucky Cabinet for Health Services
275 East Main Street
Frankfort, KY 40621-0001
Phone: 502-564-3827
E-mail: fran.hawkins@mail.state.ky.us
Website: www.cincinnatichildrens.org/fitwic
Fit
WIC Virginia
Mena Forrester, MS, RD
Project Director
Virginia Department of Health
Phone: 804-225-4462
E-mail: mforrester@vdh.state.va.us
Fit
WIC Vermont
Lynne Hathaway-Bortree, M.S.
Project Co-Director
Vermont Department of Health
Phone: 802-863-7333
Email: lbortre@vdh.state.vt.us
Karen
Flynn
WIC Program Administrator
Vermont Department of Health
Phone: 802-652-4171
E-mail: kflynn@vdh.state.vt.us
For
general information on Fit WIC, contact:
Pat
Crawford, DrPH, RD
Principal Investigator
Co-Director, Fit WIC California
Phone: 510-642-5572
E-mail: pbcraw@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Ed
Herzog
Social Science Research Analyst
USDA, Food and Nutrition Services
Phone: 703-305-2137
E-mail: edward.herzog@fns.usda.gov
Links
Visit:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks/Sharing_Center/statedev_FIT.html
for more information about the Fit WIC programs.
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