Infant diet quality index predicts nutrients of concern and ultra-processed food intake in low-income children in the United States.

Background: Diet quality during infancy can influence nutrient intake and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) consumption throughout later childhood.

Objectives: This study investigated the predictive validity of Infant Diet Quality Index (IDQI) scores from 0 to 1 y of age and consumption of select nutrients and UPFs at different time points in low-income children aged 2-5 y.

Methods: Dietary surveys and 24-h dietary recalls collected between ages 0 and 12 months from 2613 Special Supplemental Women, Infants, and Children Infant Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 participants were used to assess infant diet quality by final IDQI score ranging from 0 (nonadherence to dietary guidelines) to 1 (complete adherence to guidelines).

Longer WIC Participation Is Associated With Higher Diet Quality and Consumption of WIC-Eligible Foods Among Children 2-5 Years Old.

Background: Few studies have evaluated trends in diet quality across early childhood, including the extent to which foods and beverages available in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Food Package contribute to children's diets.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the following across ages 2 through 5 years: (1) trends in Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020) total and component scores; (2) differences in mean HEI-2020 scores by WIC participation duration; and (3) contributions of the top 5 foods or beverages to HEI-2020 component scores by WIC duration.

Design: This was a secondary analysis of a nationally representative sample of the WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 conducted between 2013 and 2019.

Looking to the past: Investigating 10-year place histories as a determinant of home food environments in the Healthy Communities Study.

Emerging research suggests there is a need to consider the importance of place histories in studying neighborhood effects. Guided by a life course of place framework, the objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between two place history exposures and three contemporary home food environment outcomes. Exposures included 10-year neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) histories and multi-year nutrition community programming and policy (CPP) histories.

Evaluating the Association of the Increase in the WIC Cash Value Benefit on the Diversity of MyPlate Fruits and Vegetables Redeemed and Consumed By Children in Low-Income Households.

Background: Fruits and vegetables (FV) are a critical source of nutrients, yet children in the United States are not meeting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). The monthly FV cash value benefit (CVB) included in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)'s food package to support child FV intake (FVI) received a substantial increase for economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To evaluate how an expansion of the monthly WIC CVB to purchase FV for WIC children ages 1-4 y is associated with diversity in FV redeemed, and how changes in redeemed FV are related to FVI.

Associations of Increased WIC Benefits for Fruits and Vegetables With Food Security and Satisfaction by Race and Ethnicity.

Introduction: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutrition support for racially and ethnically diverse populations. In 2021, the monthly cash value benefit (CVB) for the purchase of fruits and vegetables increased from $9 to $35 and was later adjusted to $24. This study investigated, by racial and ethnic groups, whether CVB increases were associated with increases in CVB redemption, household food security, child fruit and vegetable intake, satisfaction with CVB amount, and likelihood of continued participation in WIC if the CVB returned to $9 per month.

Differences in Infant Diet Quality Index by Race and Ethnicity Predict Differences in Later Diet Quality.

Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in infant-feeding practices may negatively influence diet quality and health.

Objectives: This study investigated the racial, ethnic, and language (English or Spanish) differences in infant diet quality, later diet quality, and weight status at 2-5 y, and whether these differences were explained through infant diet quality among participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Methods: Using the WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 (unweighted n = 2663; weighted n = 362,712), relationships between the Infant Dietary Quality Index (IDQI; range 0-1) and Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020; range 0-100) and BMI z-score (BMIz) at 2-5 y were analyzed by race, ethnicity, and language preference [Hispanic Spanish-speaking, Hispanic English-speaking, non-Hispanic (NH) White, and NH Black participants].

Increased WIC Cash Value Benefit is Associated with Greater Amount and Diversity of Redeemed Fruits and Vegetables among Participating Households.

Background: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages for children ages 1 to 4 y include a cash value benefit (CVB) redeemable for fruits and vegetables (FVs) with participating vendors. The CVB value was increased beginning in June 2021.

Objectives: This study evaluated associations of the augmented CVB with the amount and diversity of redeemed FVs.

Energy-Adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index and Diabetes Risk in Postmenopausal Hispanic Women.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a major public health concern in the United States and worldwide. The dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) are tools that assess dietary inflammation. Previous evidence suggests that obesity can modify the association between inflammation and disease.

Increased WIC Benefits for Fruits and Vegetables Increases Food Security and Satisfaction Among California Households with Young Children.

Background: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a critical source of nutrition support for young children in low-income families, providing access to healthy foods and a cash value benefit (CVB) for the purchase of fruits and vegetables (FV). In 2021, the WIC CVB increased substantially for women and children aged 1 to 5 years.

Objective: To investigate whether or not the increased WIC CVB for purchasing FV was associated with greater redemption of the FV benefit, satisfaction, household food security, and child FV intake.

The Infant Diet Quality Index Predicts Dietary and Adiposity Outcomes in US Children 2 to 4 years old.

Background: Healthy nutrition during the first year of life is critical for optimal growth and development. Limited techniques are available to assess diet quality in infancy, and few have been shown to be predictive of dietary and adiposity outcomes in low-income children.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to construct an Infant Diet Quality Index (IDQI) to assess the diet quality from birth to 12 mo and to determine whether the IDQI exhibits predictive validity by estimating the longitudinal associations of IDQI scores with diet quality and weight status at 2 to 4 y.

Racial and Ethnic Comparisons in Satisfaction with Services Provided by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children in California.

Understanding satisfaction of nutrition education and other services provided in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is needed to ensure the program is responsive to the needs of diverse populations. This study examined the variation of WIC participants’ perceptions and satisfaction with WIC nutrition education and services by race, ethnicity, and language preference. Phone surveys were conducted in 2019 with California WIC families with children aged 1−4 years.

Dietary inflammatory index and cardiovascular disease risk in Hispanic women from the Women's Health Initiative.

Background: To evaluate the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Hispanic women from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), and to determine if body mass index (BMI) interacted with the DII scores.

Methods: Secondary analysis of baseline dietary data and long-term CVD outcomes among 3,469 postmenopausal women who self-identified as Hispanic enrolled in WHI. DII scores were calculated from self-administered food frequency questionnaires.

Genetic admixture and cardiovascular disease risk in postmenopausal Hispanic women.

Background: Hispanics are a heterogeneous population with differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its related risk factors among ethnic sub-groups. This study evaluated the association of genetic admixture and CVD in self-identified Hispanic women from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

Methods: Data came from the WHI Observational Study and the Clinical Trial Components conducted among postmenopausal women.

A Qualitative Examination of California WIC Participants' and Local Agency Directors' Experiences during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

Background: The US Department of Agriculture granted waivers to allow flexibility in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) operations during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, research examining the associations between waiver introduction and changes in perceptions, practices, and challenges of WIC participants' and agency directors' experiences is limited.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess California WIC participants' and agency directors' perceptions and practices of remote WIC services during the COVID-19 pandemic. A secondary aim was to understand other COVID-19 challenges related to maintaining access to healthy foods by WIC participants.

Perceived Produce Availability and Child Fruit and Vegetable Intake: The Healthy Communities Study.

Children eat more fruits and vegetables when more are available at home, but less is known about how the neighborhood food environment relates to children's diet and weight outcomes. The goal of this study was to determine whether parental perception of the food environment (neighborhood and home) is associated with children's fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake and weight outcomes, and to assess differences by household food security status and household income. Cross-sectional data from the 2013-2015 U.

Earlier Introduction to Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Associated With Lower Diet Quality Among WIC Children at Age 3 Years.

Objective: Examine the association between the timing of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and 100% juice introduction with subsequent diet quality at age 3 years.

Design: Secondary analysis of a publicly available, national longitudinal dataset.

Participants: A total of 2,218 children from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Household food insecurity and children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour in the United States: the Healthy Communities Study.

Objective: To examine associations between household food insecurity and children's physical activity and sedentary behaviours.

Design: Secondary analysis was conducted on the Healthy Communities Study, an observational study from 2013 to 2015. Household food insecurity was assessed by two items from the US Department of Agriculture's 18-item US Household Food Security Survey Module.

Factor Analysis Reduces Complex Measures of Nutrition Environments in US Elementary and Middle Schools into Cohesive Dimensions in the Healthy Communities Study.

Background: Although it has been recommended that schools be the hub of efforts to improve child nutrition, research describing school nutrition environments in US public schools and their associations with child health is limited.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of factor analysis methods to characterize school nutrition environments by identifying underlying factors, or dimensions, in the observed data and to examine the relation between school nutrition environment dimensions and child anthropometric and dietary outcomes.

Methods: This study examined a cross-sectional sample of 4635 US children aged 4-15 y from 386 US elementary and middle schools from the Healthy Communities Study (2013-2015).

Nutrition Standards For Infants and Young Children can be Implemented by Family Child Care Home Providers.

The study evaluated an educational intervention with family child care home (FCCH) providers to implement nutrition standards. A convenience sample of licensed California FCCH providers (n = 30) attended a 2-hour, in-person group training in English or Spanish on nutrition standards for infants and children aged 1 to 5 years. Provider surveys and researcher observations during meals/snacks were conducted pre- and 3 months post-intervention.

Transition from Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding to Toddler Nutrition in Child Care Settings.

Child care has broad reach to young children. Yet, not all child care settings have nutrition standards for what and how foods and beverages should be served to infants as they transition to toddlerhood. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of nutrition recommendations to guide feeding young children in licensed child care settings in the USA, a process that could be adapted in other countries.

Alignment of California WIC Participant Preferences With Proposed WIC Food Package Recommendations.

Objective: Assess alignment of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participant preferences with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine WIC child food package recommendations and compare differences by race/ethnicity.

Methods: Cross-sectional examination of survey responses collected between January and May 2019 from 2,993 California WIC families with children aged 1-4 years.

Results: Over half of WIC participants (56.

Parental Perceptions of the Nutritional Quality of School Meals and Student Meal Participation: Before and After the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.

Objectives: To examine (1) parental perceptions of school meals and (2) student meal participation before and after the implementation of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA).

Design: Data were collected from telephone surveys of 2 independent cross-sectional panels in New Jersey (2009-2010 and 2016-2017).

Participants: Households with children aged 7-18 years (pre-HHFKA: n = 1,027; post-HHFKA: n = 324).

Longer Participation in WIC Is Associated with Better Diet Quality in 24-Month-Old Children.

Background: Little is known about duration of exposure to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in relation to children's diet quality.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the association between duration of WIC participation and diet quality of 24-month-old children.

Design: A national longitudinal observational study was conducted with participants initially enrolled in WIC in 2013.

Community-level obesity prevention is not associated with dieting behaviours and weight dissatisfaction in children: The Healthy Communities Study.

Background: Within the context of high childhood obesity prevalence, there is a concern that community efforts intended to reduce childhood obesity may lead to unintended adverse outcomes.

Objective: This analysis examined relationships between community programs, policies, and environmental changes (CPPs) for obesity prevention with unhealthy dieting behaviours and body weight satisfaction in children.

Methods: Using the Healthy Communities Study 2013 to 2015 survey sample of 5138 US children aged 4 to 15 years old, multilevel models examined associations between standardized CPP intensity scores and child dieting behaviours and weight satisfaction, adjusting for community and child-level covariates and clustered study design.

Post-Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Adherence to Select School Nutrition Standards by Region and Poverty Level: The Healthy Communities Study.

Objective: This study determined the extent to which schools adhered to select nutrition and wellness provisions of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and examined differences by US region and school poverty level.

Design: Comparison of cross-sectional observational data from the Healthy Communities Study (2013-2015) by region and school poverty level.

Participants: A total of 401 US elementary and middle schools.