A team of researchers, including UCLA’s Dr. Roch Nianogo, our PHFE WIC Program’s Director of Research and Evaluation, Dr. Shannon Whaley, and others completed a multi-year study to estimate the potential cost savings associated with prenatal WIC participation. The study concluded that investing $1 in WIC saves about $2.48 in medical, educational and productivity costs, for a total cost savings of about $349 million over a newborn’s entire life span. These cost savings were also due to the prevention of over more than 7,500 preterm births among the over 300,000 pregnant women living in low-income households who participate in WIC in California. Other highlights from this research conclude:
- Further savings could be achieved if all eligible women were enrolled in WIC.
- WIC is cost-effective in preventing preterm births relative to having no WIC.
- Reductions in prenatal participation could lead to significant increases in costs.
The study is published in the journal, Preventative Medicine.
Read the abstract and access the full study: Economic evaluation of California prenatal participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to prevent preterm birth >