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Defining and Applying Age-Specific Retention Measures Among Infants and Children in the WIC Program
Ana Beatriz Ronan1, Emily M Melnick1, Francesco Acciai1
1College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
American Journal of Health Promotion : AJHP
|July 31, 2026
Summary
New metrics improve assessment of continued participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Increased cash-value benefits (CVB) were linked to higher WIC retention rates.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Nutrition Policy
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Assessing continued participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is crucial for program effectiveness.
- Standardized retention and engagement metrics for WIC participants are lacking, hindering policy impact evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and validate novel child-level retention and engagement metrics for WIC participants.
- To evaluate the association between an increase in the WIC cash-value benefit (CVB) and participant retention.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal observational study using administrative data from a tribal WIC agency (March 2019-December 2023).
- Development of three child-level metrics: age-specific retention, summary retention ratio, and benefit redemption engagement.
- Analysis included cross-tabulations, t-tests, and logistic regression to assess retention and policy impact.
Main Results:
- WIC participant retention varied from 63-72% across age groups.
- Higher benefit redemption was observed among retained participants.
- A four percentage point increase in retention from infancy to age one was associated with the CVB increase (P = .026).
Conclusions:
- The proposed metrics offer a practical framework for monitoring WIC retention and engagement.
- These metrics facilitate the evaluation of policy changes, such as CVB increases, on program participation.
