Does Prenatal WIC Participation Improve Child Outcomes?

Anna Chorniy, Janet Currie and Lyudmyla Sonchak

American Journal of Health Economics, 2020, vol. 6, issue 2, 169 - 198

Abstract: A large body of literature documents positive effects of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on birth outcomes, and separately connects health at birth and future outcomes. But little research investigates the link between prenatal WIC participation and childhood outcomes. We explore this question using a unique data set from South Carolina that links administrative birth, Medicaid, and education records. We find that relative to their siblings, prenatal WIC participants have a lower incidence of ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and other common childhood mental health conditions and a lower incidence of grade repetition. These findings demonstrate that a “WIC start” results in persistent improvements in child outcomes across a range of domains.

Date: 2020
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Working Paper: Does Prenatal WIC Participation Improve Child Outcomes? (2018)
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