The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and Birth Outcomes Among Hispanic Mothers in California: A Sibling Control Design

• Published in: Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities 2024-10
• Main Authors: Bustos, Brenda, Das, Abhery, Stolte, Allison, Gailey, Samantha, Bruckner, Tim A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2197-3792; 2196-8837; 2196-8837
• DOI: 10.1007/s40615-024-02187-7

Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) during pregnancy appears to reduce risks of preterm birth and low birthweight. Many pregnant women who receive WIC benefits, however, also participate in Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California). This co-participation raises the question of whether WIC per se confers these perinatal health benefits. We use a unique, sibling-linked dataset of California births to estimate birth outcomes relating to program receipt (i.e., No WIC or Medi-Cal; WIC alone; Medi-Cal alone; and WIC and Medi-Cal). We also contribute to the literature by focusing on Hispanic mothers who represent the largest fraction of births in California, as well as the highest proportion of WIC recipients in the state. We specifically assessed the relation of differential program receipt on preterm birth (