Methods
Fit WIC California was based upon a multi-faceted community-based
model called the Spectrum of Prevention, which outlines
six levels on which to intervene in order to address complex
public health issues. The approach acknowledges the importance
of individual education and sharing of information, but
also recognizes the critical importance of simultaneously
working with communities and coalitions, changing organizational
practices, and examining local and legislative policies
that affect the social and physical environments in which
people live.
The needs and interests of the participating WIC sites
drove the development of the local Fit WIC California
interventions. Each WIC pilot site organized a task force
of community leaders, organizations, and individuals.
Task force groups met monthly and worked toward identifying
and implementing interventions to increase physical activity
and improve the nutritional status of families in their
communities.
Staff
at Fit WIC pilot sites were provided with a variety of
training sessions, which helped WIC staff improve their
skills in talking with parents about weight and feeding
issues, and in helping families increase physical activity.
Training and support activities promoted WIC staff wellness,
strengthening their position as role models for parents
and children. Finally, each pilot site developed new WIC
group education classes on topics such as cooking, gardening,
and the importance of physical activity, in ways that
were interactive and meaningful to participants.
Accomplishments
The Fit WIC community task forces garnered a great deal
of local support and were able to accomplish a variety
of interventions, including:
· successfully advocating for a state bill to improve
school nutrition programs
· certifying a local farmers' market and implementing
the WIC Farmer's Market nutrition program
· securing more than $300,000 in grant funding
to implement a local community garden project
· training local medical providers, childcare providers,
and parks and recreation staff
· participating in numerous community activities,
festivals and events
Additionally,
at the end of the project, community agencies saw WIC
as a leader in preventing childhood overweight and all
the members surveyed were interested in continuing their
efforts despite the end of the funding period.
Staff
members at Fit WIC intervention sites reported being more
physically active than their peers at control sites. Staff
members also felt that their worksites supported them
in their efforts to eat well and be physically active.
WIC staff members at intervention sites were more comfortable
talking with parents about weight issues and felt that
they were more successful in these endeavors. Staff members
really appreciated the trainings that they were given
and felt that the Fit WIC program had a meaningful influence
on their lives-both at work and at home.
WIC
participants enjoyed the new classes in which they participated.
Participants exposed to the Fit WIC intervention were
more likely to report helping their child to watch less
television in the past year, somewhat more likely to report
helping their child to be more physically active in the
past year, and more likely to see WIC as a resource available
to help them find ways to be more physically active with
their children.
Implications
The Fit WIC California project demonstrated the power
of working on many levels simultaneously to achieve a
desired result. The project showed that WIC can be a powerful
community leader in preventing childhood overweight, and
also demonstrated the potential that WIC staff members
possess to model health behaviors that make them feel
more effective in their work. The project showed that
with some investment in time in the beginning, sustainable
changes can be achieved in communities and in WIC programs.
While
a number of the activities conducted in California are
replicable without significant investment in time, activities
such as community building require time whenever they
are replicated.
Information
Fit
WIC California
Poppy Strode, MS, MPH, RD
Project Co-Manager
Department of Health Services, WIC Branch
Phone: 916-928-8627
E-mail: mstrode@dhs.ca.gov
