Chapter 1 - The Problem
This study is a collaboration between Penn State and the Fayette Community Action Center in assessing the Women, Infants, and Children Program, more commonly known as WIC. The majority of the research team was not familiar with the WIC program in Fayette County so the group started by researching the program itself. Mr. James Stark, Executive Director of the Fayette County Community Action Center made us aware of a leading problem of the WIC program in Fayette County. He identified a pregnancy concern as a need for more people to enroll in WIC to increase government funding. This enrollment dilemma is the focus of our project. Anna Koffler is the director of recruitment for the WIC program at the Community Action Center, and serves as the liaison with this project.
Two of the uncontrollable factors that may contribute to the decline in enrollment of WIC are decreasing birth rates and increase in economy.
English: Pregnant woman at a WIC clinic in Virgini...
English: I took photo at San Antonio, TX. at Ricar...
English: YOKOSUKA, Japan (July 31, 2009) The amphi...However evidence suggests, there is thirty percent of the Fayette County population that is unaware of WIC, not interested in the program, or maybe think that they are ineligible. Many women think that if they are not eligible for welfare that they are not eligible for WIC, but this is not always true. They may very well be eligible for the program and not know it.
WIC is a beneficial program to single women and children and was started because of iron deficiency in women. This program offers food (milk, eggs, cereals, formulas, juices, and cheese), nutrition counseling, and access to health services to help pre-natal and post-natal mothers with children age five and younger.
The focus in this study for the WIC program is women between the ages of thirteen through eighteen. Fayette County has a problem with teen pregnancies, although...