New Research: Evaluating policy systems, and environmental strategies for promoting responsive bottle-feeding practices

A new research study led by our PHFE WIC Research and Evaluation team members, Shannon Whaley, Catherine Martinez, Martha Meza, and Elizabeth Rodriguez, evaluated policy systems, and environmental (PSE) strategies for promoting responsive bottle-feeding practices within PHFE WIC settings that were associated with lower risk for rapid weight gain.

  • Infants in PSE clinics had a significantly lower likelihood of exhibiting rapid gain weight than infants in control clinics. 
  • Mothers in PSE and control clinics reported similar levels of responsive and pressuring feeding style and similar prevalence of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. 

The study is published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Read the abstract and access the full study: Promoting Responsive Bottle-Feeding Within WIC: Evaluation of a Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change Approach.