WHY WAIT?: EXAMINING DELAYED WIC PARTICIPATION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN |
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| Authors: | LAURA TIEHEN ALISON JACKNOWITZ |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Tiehen: Research Economist, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20036. Phone 202‐694‐5417;2. Fax 202‐694‐5642;3. E‐mail ltiehen@ers.usda.gov;4. The authors thank Daniel Novillo for excellent research assistance. They also thank Marianne Bitler, Sheldon Danziger, Craig Gundersen, Sandra Hofferth, Shelly Ver Ploeg, two anonymous referees, and participants at the 2005 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management annual conference and the 2006 Population Association of America annual conference for helpful comments. The views and opinions expressed in this article may not be attributed to the Economic Research Service or the USDA.;5. Jacknowitz: Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration and Policy, American University, Washington, DC 20016. Phone 202‐885‐2137;6. Fax 202‐885‐2347;7. E‐mail jacknowi@american.edu |
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| Abstract: | Despite the benefits of prenatal participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), many eligible women either do not participate or begin participation late in their pregnancies. Using recent nationally representative data, we find that more disadvantaged women are more likely to access WIC and, with some notable exceptions, to participate earlier in their pregnancies. Hispanic women, especially those with language difficulties, enroll in WIC later in their pregnancies. Early WIC participation, particularly among teenagers, is less likely among women experiencing a first birth and depends on the mother’s early recognition of her pregnancy. (JEL I18, I30) |
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