Internet access among low-income WIC populations

Internet access among low-income populations has long believed to be an issue, especially in terms of meeting current national health goals of eliminating health disparities. A series of studies were conducted across varying populations and geographic locations to better determine computer and Internet access issues among WIC participants. Over the course of a 2-year period, five separate studies were conducted to determine access. Data were collected using a series of items by self-report either within WIC clinics or via online access. Results indicated that nearly half of all participants owned a computer and 52%–95% have “easy access” (defined as access from home, work, parent's home, or friend's home) to the Internet. Over 75% of participants indicated they liked learning from the Internet, with those owning a computer more likely to report that they like to learn from web pages. Participant age and participant child age were not found to be associated with whether or not the participant liked to learn from the Internet. Findings of these studies provide evidence that a large percentage of WIC clients do have access to the Internet, supporting the use of the Internet as a viable health education intervention targeting low-income populations.