Texas Childhood Obesity Prevention Policy Evaluation (T-COPPE) project: The WIC Food Access and Availability Study

The WIC Food Access and Availability Study (WFAA) is one component of The Texas Childhood Obesity Prevention Policy Evaluation (T-COPPE). The purpose of the WFAA is to evaluate the effects of the new WIC food package on the macro food-environment. Using a pre-post test study design, the study assesses the availability, accessibility, and affordability of healthy foods provided in the revised WIC Food Package – along with certain unhealthy counterpart foods – in WIC-approved grocery stores throughout Texas before and after the package change. Our specific hypotheses state that after the implementation of the new WIC food package, and compared to pre- policy implementation: 1) grocery stores will have more shelf-space/display space dedicated to fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, and non/low-fat milk; and 2) grocery stores will have an increased display profile of fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, and non/low-fat milk. The grocery stores were categorized by size based on average monthly WIC sales, and consist of large (n=28), medium (n=40) and small grocery stores (N=44) located in rural and urban areas throughout Texas. A modified Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS) was developed and used to: 1) assess the quality and variety of foods, 2) measure shelf space dedicated to each WIC product, 3) measure “visibility,” a newly developed placement characteristic based on marketing principles that assesses visual accessibility of each WIC product, and 4) record the least expensive price in order to assess affordability. Baseline data from this sample of 112 stores will be presented along with lessons learned.