WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,Infants, and Children, is a federal program operated through state and localagencies. American Indian tribal organizations administer WIC programs ontribal lands. There are currently 32 tribal WIC programs. Tribes oftencontribute significant resources of their own in the form of office andclinic space, and some cover additional costs such as salaries forbreastfeeding coordinators. By offering culturally appropriate servicesspecific to Native Americans’ nutrition and health concerns, tribal WICprograms meet the special needs of a population that has long suffered fromhigh rates of hunger, undernutrition, and maternal and child health problems.Tribal WIC programs particularly help provide continuity of care ingeographically isolated tribal lands. WIC has helped improve the health ofwomen, infants, and children in Native American communities through providingnutritious supplemental foods and nutrition education, and working with otherprograms to improve access to health care. The health and nutritional statusof women, infants, and children in Native American communities is better inmany respects than a generation ago. Native Americans have seen significantdeclines in the rates of anemia, growth stunting, underweight, and maternaland infant mortality over the last 25 years. Despite these important gains,the new challenges of high levels of obesity and diabetes and the persistentproblem of food insecurity must still be met.(TD)
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