Although the data may suggest some hypotheses about possible impacts of WIC, testing these hypotheses is a task for future research. This is particularly important to bear in mind when considering comparisons between WIC children and other low-income children. Nearly a third of their mothers smoked cigarettes during the pregnancy. Around 12 percent of the children were low birthweight. Two-fifths were breastfed, in most cases for less than six months.
Half live in a household headed by a married couple.
Nearly all have medical insurance, primarily Medicaid. WIC Eligibility and Benefits for Children To be eligible for WIC, a child must be under the age of five, in a household with income under 185 percent of the federal poverty level, and at nutritional risk. WIC is not an entitlement program. Children have lower priority for WIC services than pregnant women and infants. The program benefits for children participating in WIC are threefold.