Are WIC Nonrecipients at Less Nutritional Risk Than Recipients? An Application of the Food Security Measure*

T he goal of the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the U.S. social safety net is to ... provide supplemental nutritious food as an adjunct to good health during such critical times of growth and development during pregnancy, the postpartum period, infancy, and early childhood in order to prevent the occurrence of health problems (P.L. 94-105). The perceived success of WIC in meeting this goal has led to program growth over time, from 5.7 million enrollees in 1992 to nearly 8 million in 2000 (Bartlett et al.). Despite this increased enrollment, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state WIC offices express concern that a larger share of the eligible population does not receive WIC. For example, more than six in ten eligible children do not receive WIC (Bitler, Currie, and Scholz). The level of concern about nonparticipation among eligibles depends upon who is not receiving WIC. Policymakers and program administrators want to ensure WIC is being received by those most in need. Some have speculated that WIC recipients are better off than eligible nonrecipients, suggesting that the