Enhancing WIC Referrals for Military Families Through Informatics and Community Health Workers

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition Science
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Food insecurity is prevalent in active-duty military households, necessitating targeted nutrition support.
• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) offers vital nutritional aid but is underutilized by military families due to barriers like misinformation and stigma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the implementation of an informatics-based intervention combined with community health worker (CHW) outreach to boost WIC enrollment in a military community.
• To assess the effectiveness of CHW-led strategies in overcoming barriers to WIC access for military families.

Main Methods:

• A case study at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, utilized an informatics approach to identify WIC-eligible military families.
• Community health workers (CHWs) provided targeted outreach and case management, facilitating referrals to local WIC clinics.
• The intervention adapted based on CHW insights into local needs, incorporating in-person referrals.

Main Results:

• The informatics approach identified that 1 in 8 military families at Fort Campbell were likely eligible for WIC.
• Targeted CHW outreach led to 407 referrals, with an additional 315 families referred through in-person assistance.
• The informatics component proved labor-intensive, but CHWs were crucial for trust-building and project success.

Conclusions:

• Community health workers play a pivotal role in navigating complex systems and fostering trust to improve WIC program engagement for military families.
• While the informatics model had limitations, the intervention successfully increased WIC referrals and highlighted the need for continued advocacy to reduce food insecurity in military communities.