The Correlation Between the Elimination of Nutritional Risks and Food Insecurity and Cultural Food Preferences Among WIC Program Recipients in Fairfax County, Virginia

Abstract

This was an exploratory research study in which adult WIC program recipients were interviewed to determine their cultural food preferences. Four daily appointment schedule sheets were chosen at random and evaluated to determine how many persons were being served on an average day at two of Fairfax County’s busiest WIC offices. Data revealed how many adults and how many children were being served per day. Data also indicated if a mother had multiple children who were receiving WIC services. Preliminary results indicate that WIC recipients in Fairfax County do have firm cultural food preferences. Through information gained via direct interviews this study also revealed that some of the WIC-recipient families are also food insecure, have disordered eating habits/behaviors.