Healthy…  Nutritious… Low Fat… High Fiber… Moderation… Exercise… Carbs… Protein…  These days, you can’t walk down the street or flip through your favorite magazine without being bombarded by directives about what to eat and how to eat it.  Messages on how to live a healthy lifestyle are all around us, but making meaning of it all can be confusing or even overwhelming.  And for new and expecting moms, deciphering all the information to make the right choices for themselves and their families takes on a whole new level of importance.  That’s why nutrition education is a key part of WIC.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently published a report to provide a snapshot of how WIC programs implement their nutrition education services on the state and local levels.  According to the findings, WIC clinics had an average of six nutrition educators on staff.   These individuals were generally very educated – nearly two-thirds had a bachelor’s or graduate degree – and highly experienced; more than half had worked for WIC for over seven years.  Approximately 6 out of 10 clinics employed registered dietitians as nutrition educators.   

The services these nutrition educators reported providing to WIC participants reflect the diversity of the program’s participants.  All clinics offer face-to-face, one-on-one nutrition counseling sessions.  However, to accommodate moms’ busy schedules, many also reported offering telephone or video conferencing or technology-based methods such as educational sessions offered online.  Approximately half hosted group education sessions.  

During counseling sessions, nutrition educators reported working with participants to set realistic goals.  They also coordinated with other related local programs and services to provide consistent messaging and share resources. The most common topics addressed through their nutrition education programs were breastfeeding and infant feeding practices, though a variety of other topics were discussed as well.

We spoke with Christine Dolan, WIC Nutrition Program Director for Garfield County Public Health in Colorado, to see how these results compared to her experience.  When asked about the primary focus of their nutrition education program, Dolan, a registered dietitian, stated, “People know what good choices are; they’re not ignorant to the fact that a candy bar is a worse choice than an orange.  So it’s more about the implementation:  How do I make this work in my life when these are all the barriers I face – I’m working, I’m on a budget, etc.  The information is out there, but it’s more about how do I do this?”

In the 17 years she’s worked for WIC, Dolan reports noticing a shift in the nutrition education program.  “What’s evolved is the delivery of the message and how we approach that.  It used to be very authoritative,” said Ms. Dolan, “and we’ve moved toward more of a shared discussion of what works for people.”  Today, she and her colleagues focus on meeting people where they are and finding out “what motivates them personally or excites them to make a change.”

As part of this approach, the Garfield County Public Health clinic offers grocery tours to share some key shopping lessons with their clients on topics such as unit pricing and selecting grain products.  But for new moms who don’t have the time or resources to attend one of the on-site tours, they set-up “pop-up tours” in the WIC office.  They also offer cooking classes on-site.  

FNS plans to expand its body of work on WIC nutrition education in future studies by looking into the impact these nutrition education programs have on WIC participants.  Impact studies of WIC nutrition education will help ensure that WIC continues to support new moms and their young children in the best ways possible and set a new generation of consumers on the right path toward healthy futures.