Use of interactive texting is associated with higher odds of continued WIC participation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

In Los Angeles County (LAC), California, the demand for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) services increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, concurrent with the shift to fully remote WIC service delivery in March, 2020. Technologies for facilitating remote services were critical for accommodating increases in participation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to quantify patterns of remote-service utilization, and to determine whether use of remote services (phone, interactive texting, email, online education, video appointments) was associated with higher rates of recertification among WIC participants early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional survey with administrative data for follow-up. This study used data from the 2020 LAC WIC Survey and WIC administrative data to evaluate remote service utilization across LAC WIC agencies (unweighted n=3,510, weighted n=3,540). Recertification on WIC, determined by the issuance of a food package in the first two months following the end-date of the prior certification period. Survey data were merged to WIC administrative data to determine whether participants completed a recertification; the association of utilization of each remote service with the odds of recertification among WIC-participating children 0-3 years of age was assessed with multivariable logistic regression. Most survey respondents reported using phone appointments (95.5%), interactive texting (77.3%), email (60.1%), and online education (71.2%) to access WIC services during 2020, and over 82% of children successfully recertified. Interactive texting utilization was associated with 27% higher recertification odds (95% confidence interval 1% to 59%); associations between all other remote services and odds of recertification were not statistically significant. These results suggest that WIC investment in interactive texting technological infrastructure, and appropriate staff training, can help local WIC agencies successfully reach and provide high quality services to WIC participants.