Intake of food guide pyramid servings: A comparison of WIC children in Wisconsin and children from 1994 CSFII

The purpose of this study was to determine if foods provided by the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) affect selected indicators of diet quality among WIG participants. Recall data from 179 Wisconsin WIC children ages 2 to 5 years were converted to Food Guide Pyramid servings and compared to the 1994 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes of Individuals (CSFII) Food Guide Pyramid servings data. Three comparison groups were identified from CSFII for children ages 2 to 5 years in the midwest region:WIC participants and non-WIG participants above and below 185% of the federal poverty level. Means and standard errors for the Wisconsin data were computed with SPSS for Windows;WesVarPC was used to obtain weighted means and standard errors for CSFII data. The number of Food Guide Pyramid servings were compared among groups using a z-test. In general, WIG participants consumed more of some dairy products and vegetables and less added sugar than the children not participating in WIG, suggesting a significant contribution of WIC supplemental foods and nutrition education to the dietary quality of its participants. These findings should be of particular interest to practitioners involved in program planning for WIC and persons who allocate funding to the WIC program.