WARMRegards Nov 2018 – WIC in Rural Areas

Welcome to WARMRegards! We’ve recently restarted our popular e-newsletter aimed at helping WIC agencies discover the latest developments in technology, applications, and tips-of-the-trade. It’s our goal to support you in reaching and retaining more WIC clients.

One of the most common barriers to WIC client retention is difficulty finding transportation to WIC clinics and keeping appointments. It would stand to reason, then, that WIC participation in rural areas would be lower than in metropolitan areas, because rural areas lack access to the public transportation options that are readily available in cities. However, that’s not the case.

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) discusses a study by the University of New Hampshire that shows that WIC participation is actually slightly higher in rural areas (46%) than it is in metro areas (42%). The study defines metropolitan areas as those with at least one Census Bureau-delineated urbanized area with a population greater than 50,000. Areas that do not meet that standard qualify as rural areas.

Why Rural Areas Need More Outreach

Although WIC participation by income-eligible families is slightly higher in rural areas, poverty rates are also higher in rural areas, promoting a greater need to reach families. In rural areas, poverty in families with children under the age of six is 26.6%, while in metropolitan areas, it’s 20.4%.

Not only is general poverty an issue in rural communities, but food insecurity is as well. Feeding America shares some pretty disturbing statistics: 2.4 million rural households deal with hunger. Roughly 75% of U.S. counties that face food insecurity are rural, with 86% of counties with child food insecurity being rural. A study published in the Journal of the American Diabetic Association backs this up as well: an analysis of 23 families in rural Appalachia found that 60% were food insecure and 30% experience hunger as a result of that insecurity.

These high rates of poverty and food insecurity can have negative consequences on the health of pregnant women and children. That’s why WIC outreach in these communities is so important. According to the FRAC, signing up more eligible families for WIC can:

Improve dietary health in women and children.
Lead to better health later in life, including lower rates of adulthood obesity.
Improve birth outcomes by lowering preterm births and increasing birth weights.
Reduce food insecurity.
Enhance economic stability.

What’s Stopping Rural Families from Participating in WIC?

The obvious barrier to WIC participation is transportation, but there are other factors in play as well. Not only is getting to a WIC center difficult due to long distances, but finding a store that is eligible to receive WIC benefits is more difficult as well. Families might have to travel hours to other towns to be able to redeem their benefits, and many feel that the trip is not worth it. In fact, the USDA states that 26% of WIC participants exit the program after their child turns one because they don’t feel the food packages are worth the trouble getting them, and 10% leave because of scheduling and transportation issues regarding getting to WIC appointments.

We can deduce from this information that the two main issues families face in regards to WIC participation are transportation and the value of WIC services.

What Can You Do to Overcome These Barriers?

Promoting the value of your services is essential in reaching potential WIC participants in rural communities. Families in rural areas might be more apt to participate if they know that WIC is a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They might also need lists of eligible stores to redeem benefits, as well as information about the WIC food package. Knowing what the food packages contain and how these packages can benefit the overall health of their children may prompt parents to seek them out more regularly. It is crucial that parents know the many health risks associated with food insecurity.

For small, rural WIC clinics, it can be difficult to help participants with transportation issues. If possible, mobile offices or satellite clinics can help clients get to their appointments more often. You can even reach out to local community centers to provide services at these locations, making it easier for clients to attend.

The best way to overcome transportation issues is to reduce the amount of times participants will need to travel. Minimize the amount of in-person clinic visits required so clients don’t need to travel to WIC clinics so often. You can use technology to assist you in this – for example, provide nutrition education via online classes or a mobile app. For clients in extreme rural areas without access to the internet, you can provide a paper mail-in copy as well. Allowing clients to complete their nutrition education requirements without having to travel hours to a clinic ensures they’ll be more likely to continue with the program.

A strong online presence is also a great way to disseminate information that’s important for moms of young children. You can provide easy-to-understand information and quick videos about crucial topics like food insecurity, breastfeeding, and nutrition.

A mobile app can also help with communicating with rural moms. Rather than having to come in to the clinic to speak with a member of your staff, a secure mobile app allows moms to chat one-on-one without risking the security of their private health information. They can ask questions and get answers and feedback directly from nutrition experts without having to deal with transportation and scheduling issues.

To recap, though WIC participation is slightly higher in rural areas, the need for WIC services is more crucial due to higher levels of poverty and food insecurity. You can help by:

Keeping clients informed of the benefits of WIC.
Providing mobile clinics.
Reducing the number of necessary in-person appointments.
Providing nutrition training and important information online or by mail.
Setting up a mobile chat app for easier communication.

Shela Ward

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