Building the Future of WIC by Advancing Health Through Better Data Access and Partnerships

Since its inception more than 50 years ago, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has grown to serve more than 6 million participants monthly, across the US, significantly improving maternal and child health outcomes. This article aims to highlight the existing data available to researchers and presents the perspective that access to more integrated data for a larger audience would further enhance WIC's effectiveness. Encouraging partnerships among WIC state agencies, federal programs, and researchers could increase access to robust administrative data, enabling opportunities to strengthen evidence, improve participants' experience, and guide policy.