Trends in Weight-for-Length Among Infants in WIC From 2000 to 2014

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Public Health Surveillance
• Growth Monitoring

Background:

• High weight-for-length in infants (ages 3-23 months) is a public health concern.
• Understanding trends in this metric is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the prevalence and secular trends of high weight-for-length among infants.
• Utilize data from the Women, Infants, and Children Program and Participants Characteristic (WIC-PC) Survey (2000-2014).

Main Methods:

• Defined high weight-for-length as ≥2 SDs above the sex- and age-specific median (WHO standards).
• Employed Poisson regression to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios.
• Analyzed data from 16,927,120 WIC-PC survey participants.

Main Results:

• Overall prevalence increased from 13.4% (2000) to 14.5% (2004), then decreased to 12.3% (2014).
• High weight-for-length was associated with male sex, American Indian/Alaskan Native race-ethnicity, younger age, and lower family income.
• Prevalence decreased from 2010-2014 in most US states and territories, with notable declines in Puerto Rico and Kentucky.

Conclusions:

• A decrease in high weight-for-length was observed among WIC infants since 2010.
• Variations across jurisdictions suggest the impact of local policies and programs on maternal and infant health outcomes.