BackgroundSince 1972, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has been proven to improve the health of participating low-income women and children in the United States. Despite positive nutritional outcomes associated with WIC, the program needs updated tools to help future generations. Improving technology in federal nutrition programs is crucial for keeping nutrition resources accessible and easy for low-income families to use.ObjectiveThis review aimed to analyze the main features of publicly available mobile phone apps for WIC participants.MethodsKeyword searches were performed in the app stores for the 2 most commonly used mobile phone operating systems between December 2017 and June 2018. Apps were included if they were relevant to WIC and excluded if the target users were not WIC participants. App features were reviewed and classified according to type and function. User reviews from the app stores were examined, including ratings and categorization of user review comments.ResultsA total of 17 apps met selection criteria. Most apps (n=12) contained features that required verified access available only to WIC participants. Apps features were classified into categories: (1) shopping management (eg, finding and redeeming food benefits), (2) clinic appointment management (eg, appointment reminders and scheduling), (3) informational resources (eg, recipes, general food list, tips about how to use WIC, links to other resources), (4) WIC-required nutrition education modules, and (5) other user input. Positive user reviews indicated that apps with shopping management features were very useful.ConclusionsWIC apps are becoming increasingly prevalent, especially in states that have implemented electronic benefits transfer for WIC. This review offers new contributions to the literature and practice, as practitioners, software developers, and health researchers seek to improve and expand technology in the program.

ObjectiveRetention of participants has been an issue in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). It has been suggested that the perceived value of WIC may affect whether participants remain in the programme. The present study aimed to explore this phenomenon.DesignUsing a constructivist approach, thirty-one individual in-depth interviews were conducted. Transcripts were analysed using constant comparative analysis. Social, cultural and environmental factors that contribute to the value of WIC were explored as the phenomenon of interest.SettingEight WIC clinics across the State of Illinois, USA.ParticipantsThirty-one caregivers of children enrolled in WIC for at least 6 months.ResultsSeveral factors influenced perceived value of WIC at the interpersonal (level of social support), clinic (value of WIC services v. programme administration issues), vendor (shopping difficulties), community and systems levels (other programme use, stigma and restrictions on food choice). Other themes existed along continua, which overlapped several levels (continuum of perceived need and perceived value of infant formula).ConclusionsMany caregivers value WIC, especially before their child turns 1 year old. Improvements are needed at the clinic, during shopping and within the food packages themselves in order to increase perceived value of WIC.

This study shows that providing more choice in the program could improve satisfaction with WIC overall. More research is warranted with a more representative sample to assess whether expanded food choice would improve value of and preference for WIC foods.

Background The Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal nutrition program that provides nutritious food, education, and health care referrals to low-income women, infants, and children up to the age of 5 years. Although WIC is associated with positive health outcomes for each participant category, modernization and efficiency are needed at the clinic and shopping levels to increase program satisfaction and participation rates. New technologies, such as electronic benefits transfer (EBT), online nutrition education, and mobile apps, can provide opportunities to improve the WIC experience for participants. Objective This formative study applies user-centered design principles to inform the layout and prioritization of features in mobile apps for low-income families participating in the WIC program. Methods To identify and prioritize desirable app features, caregivers (N=22) of the children enrolled in WIC participated in individual semistructured interviews with a card sorting activity. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using constant comparative analysis for themes. App features were ranked and placed into natural groupings by each participant. The sum and average of the rankings were calculated to understand which features were prioritized by the users. Natural groupings of features were labeled according to participant descriptions. Results Natural groupings focused on the following categories: clinics/appointments, shopping/stores, education/assessments, location, and recipes/food. Themes from the interviews triangulated the results from the ranking activity. The priority app features were balance checking, an item scanner, and appointment scheduling. Other app features discussed and ranked included appointment reminders, nutrition training and quizzes, shopping lists, clinic and store locators, recipe gallery, produce calculator, and dietary preferences/allergies. Conclusions This study demonstrates how a user-centered design process can aid the development of an app for low-income families participating in WIC to inform the effective design of the app features and user interface.

Objective: Identify factors associated with caregivers' intention to keep their child enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program until age 5 years. Methods: Baseline data from a longitudinal questionnaire aiming to assess the impact of a statewide intervention to increase WIC retention in Illinois were analyzed in 2018. Data on sociodemographics and household characteristics were collected in 2015 from 174 caregiver/child dyads. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with caregivers' intention to keep their child enrolled in WIC until age 5 years (ie, intention). Results: A total of 66% of caregivers stated they were very likely to keep their child enrolled in the WIC program. Breastfeeding and homeownership status were associated with 58% (P =.03) and 72% (P =.02) lower odds of intention among caregivers, respectively. Conclusions and Implications: Significant inverse associations among breastfeeding, homeownership, and intention support the need for tailoring state-level WIC retention efforts to specific population characteristics and health behaviors.

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reciprocal dynamic relationship between mentor and mentee has the potential to produce a shared vision, healthy outcomes, and resources including funding. Evaluation: The mentoring program was three pronged that included a pre-conference workshop on designing a research proposal, the formation of self-selected mentor mentee groups, and monthly webinars for the whole group for 12 months. The individual meetings focused on helping the mentees with their grant proposals or publications, where the mentees came up with the projects and the mentors provided advice. The group wide interactive webinars addressed issues that came from the individual group meetings. Eight minority investigators and five mentors participated in this mentoring program. The projects undertaken under the mentorship included, revisions of previously rejected grant proposals, publication projects, and review of grant proposals. A systematic review was completed, extension educational materials were prepared and a dossier for tenure was prepared under the guidance of the mentors. Conclusions and Implications: The 3-pronged approach of a workshop, tailored mentoring and group webinars has a broad impact for professional development and promoting diversity in our profession.

BACKGROUND Goal setting and tracking are well-established behavior change strategies that have been used with parents to modify child behaviors. Little is known about the extent to which commercially available mobile applications (apps) are designed to guide parents in using these strategies, their evidence base, and their quality. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to review commercially available apps related to setting and tracking behavioral goals that target parents and children. The objectives were to: 1) classify the general characteristics, features, evidence base and target behaviors of the apps, 2) assess the quality of the identified apps, and 3) compare the apps that target health-related behaviors (HRB) versus apps without a health-related behavior (WHRB) included. METHODS Apps were identified using keyword searches in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Apps were included if the main purpose was to assist with setting goals, tracking goals, tracking behaviors, and/or giving feedback pertaining to goals for children by parents. App characteristics and common features were coded and documented to classify the apps. Quality of each app was assessed using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) by two separate reviewers. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the MARS total score, four quality subscales, and six app-specific items that reflect perceived impact of the app on goal setting and tracking. Kruskal-Wallis rank sum tests were used to compare the MARS total scale, subscales, and app-specific items between the HRB apps and WHRB apps. RESULTS Of the 21 apps identified, 16 met criteria for review. The majority of goal setting/tracking apps (n= 9) defined and targeted health-related behaviors (6 nutrition/mealtime, 5 physical activity/screen time, 7 sleep, 6 personal hygiene). Three apps targeted specific ages, with four years being the youngest. None of the apps provided tailored assessments or guidance for goal-setting. None indicated that they had been tested for efficacy. The MARS total score indicated moderate app quality overall (M=3.42, SD=0.49) and ranged from 2.5 to 4.2 out of 5 points. The mean MARS total score was significantly higher for HRB (M=3.67, SD=0.34) versus WHRB apps (M=3.09, SD=0.46 P=0.02). The Habitz app ranked highest on the MARS total score among HRB apps (4.2), while Thumsters ranked highest (3.9) among the WHRB apps. HRB apps also scored higher on the Engagement and Information subscales and on three of the app-specific items about perceived impact on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Change. CONCLUSIONS Several high-quality commercially available apps target parents to facilitate goal setting and tracking for child behavior change related to both health and non-health behaviors. However, the apps lack evidence of efficacy. Future research should address this gap, particularly for parents of young children, and consider including individually tailored guided goal setting. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable