Accessibility To Ethnic Food Stores Authorized by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and...

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a U.S. federal nutrition assistance program that provides low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5 with supplemental foods, healthcare referrals, and nutrition education. At least 20% of participants of WIC in Washington state are immigrants. Information on how many WIC-authorized stores are ethnic stores, where immigrants could more readily access culturally preferred foods, is unknown. This study aims to assess the availability and distribution of WIC-authorized ethnic stores in Washington state, relative to the location of immigrant WIC-eligible populations. Data on the location of WIC-authorized stores, classified as ethnic or non-ethnic stores, were obtained from the Washington WIC Shopper mobile app. Sociodemographic information for each census tract was obtained from the American Community Survey 2017-2021. We estimated the distribution of, and distance to, WIC-authorized ethnic stores, compared across census tracts with high versus low proportions of foreign-born individuals and WIC-eligible children in Washington state. Almost 1/3 (29%) of census tracts in Washington state had WIC-authorized stores; 1.7% had WIC-authorized ethnic stores. Census tracts with high proportions of both foreign-born individuals and WIC-eligible children, compared with census tracts with low proportions, had more ethnic stores (14.5%) and shorter distances to them (3.0 km). Census tracts in Washington state with higher proportions of foreign-born individuals and WIC-eligible children had better physical access to WIC-authorized ethnic stores, though these stores are rare. Future research should explore barriers and facilitators for ethnic stores becoming WIC-authorized.