Families Can Prevent Childhood Obesity By Participating in
WIC
August 1, 2006, DENVER — Colorado’s Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and
Children (WIC) is tackling childhood obesity in Colorado by
focusing on increasing breast-feeding rates, physical
activity and consumption of fruits and vegetables and
decreasing television time.
This is being accomplished by providing individualized
nutrition education to each participant in the WIC Program.
Bill Eden, director of the WIC Program, which is based at
the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment,
said, “In 2004, 9.6 percent of the 94,244 Colorado children
who were in the WIC program between ages 2 and 5 were
overweight, up from 6.5 percent in 1994. Children are
consuming more total fat than children living 20 years ago.
They also are getting less than two-thirds the daily
recommendation for vitamins and minerals from their diets.
Unhealthy diets are on the rise and physical activity is on
the decline. The result is an epidemic of overweight
children.
“One-half of all infants and one in four young children
ages 1-5 participate in Colorado WIC. Contact with so many
children gives WIC the opportunity to provide nutrition
education specifically targeting children at risk for being
overweight.”
In addition to providing one-on-one consultations about
how to eat healthy and incorporate exercise into daily
routines for a healthier lifestyle, the program is supplying
program participants with brochures and pamphlets on a
variety of nutritional topics.
Eden explained that WIC, one of the nation’s most
effective nutrition and public health programs, annually
adjusts the income eligibility guidelines to reach women and
children in families with incomes at or below 185 percent of
poverty. To qualify in this state, a person must live in
Colorado and meet income guidelines. A household of four can
earn up to $37,000 gross income a year and still qualify for
WIC. Many working families meet income guidelines and are
eligible to participate in WIC.
WIC serves the following categories:
- pregnant women
- breast-feeding women, up to the infant’s first
birthday
- non-breast-feeding postpartum women, up to six
months after delivery
- infants and children up to their fifth birthday
The Colorado WIC program currently provides vouchers for
supplemental foods such as cereal, eggs, juice, milk, peanut
butter, beans, cheese, carrots, tuna and infant formula to
approximately 85,000 low-income women, infants and children
in the state each month. Participants also receive nutrition
education, breast-feeding education and referrals to other
health and social services. WIC is an equal opportunity
provider.
For more information about how to enroll in WIC call
303-692-2400.
For more Boulder County information:
|
