Research: Revitalizing WIC - Center for Public Health Nutrition, University of Washington

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Activities:

Revitalizing WIC Nutrition Services: Building on Our Strengths - Healthy Habits
Investigators	Donna Johnson and Sheryl Pickering
Project Dates	10/00-9/03
Project Summary	CPHN partnered with Washington State WIC to implement and evaluate Healthy Habits, a statewide health promotion initiative for family meals and family physical activity. The Healthy Habits Project was developed in response to the increasing prevalence of lifestyle-related disease and the unique opportunity WIC offers for low income families. The purpose of Healthy Habits is to provide training, materials and support to local WIC staff so that they will be able to provide effective health promotion for WIC families in their communities.The goals of Healthy Habits are: (1) Increase local WIC staff expertise and ability to provide client oriented, behavioral approaches to nutrition services. (2) Increase local WIC capacity to apply public health approaches to develop and sustain community-based nutrition services and chronic disease risk reduction. Healthy Habits has two components. One component is nutrition education modules that can be used by local agencies and community partners to promote Family Meals or Family Physical Activity. The second component is a program of mini-grants that were awarded to local agencies to support innovative approaches to health promotion for WIC families. Both components are built on formative research with WIC clients and staff, incorporated theoretical approaches from social-ecological models, social marketing, and stages of change, and include a strong focus on evaluation. In an initial six months implementation period, the Healthy Habits modules were associated with staff and client behavior change. Most local agencies found the modules to be useful to staff and clients. Agencies that received mini-grants reported that staff gained public health skills and competencies and clients benefited from the innovative programs. Healthy Habits materials can be used to support WIC client behavior change. A client-centered, community-wide approach, tailoring nutrition education materials not only to client needs but also to staff capabilities and time constraints, and clear communication are essential for a successful statewide nutrition education program. Healthy Habits was implemented to the greatest extent by local agencies that received additional funding for projects that were designed specifically to meet local needs.
Reports & Publications	Birkett D, Johnson DB, Oberg D, Thompson J. Reaching Low Income Families: Focus Group Results Provide Direction for a Behavioral Approach to WIC Services. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004 Aug, 104:1277-1280 \| Pub Med Abstract \| Johnson DB, Birkett D, Evens C, Pickering S. Statewide intervention to reduce television viewing in WIC clients and staff. Am J Health Promot. 2005 Jul-Aug, 19(6):418-21 \| PubMed Abstract \| Johnson DB, Evens C, Pickering S. Promoting Family Meals in WIC: Lessons Learned from a Statewide Initiative. J Nutr Ed Behav. 2006. In press. Revitalizing Nutrition Services in WIC: Healthy Habits, Washington WIC Program. A report to be published on the WIC Works web site. 2006.
Resources	Healthy Habits Final Report Healthy Habits Materials Evaluating Screen Time Reduction Initiatives: The Washington State Story (PPT)
Funding	USDA/Washington State Department of Health

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