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. 2025 Aug 29;22(9):1354.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph22091354.

Maternal Outcomes of WIC Recipients Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Arlesia Mathis  1 , Sarah G Buxbaum  1 , Fran Close  1 , Sandra G Suther  2 , Elizabeth Mazzio  3 , Remelda Saunders-Jones  4 , Fayetta Justin  5 , Karam F A Soliman  3 , Selina Darling-Reed  3
Affiliations

Maternal Outcomes of WIC Recipients Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Arlesia Mathis et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic restricted the availability of healthcare and social services. This retrospective study reports WIC enrollment rates and presents descriptive data on prenatal care access and selected maternal health conditions among pregnant women in Florida before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using birth data linking maternal and infant characteristics from the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, we examined birth records from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020 related to women ranging from 11 to 59 years of age who received WIC. The descriptive results show that WIC recipients had higher rates of inadequate prenatal care and adverse maternal health outcomes during the pandemic. Logistic regression results show that the odds of receiving inadequate prenatal care increased by 24% (OR = 1.24, p < 0.001), the odds of experiencing gestational diabetes by 9% (OR = 1.09, p < 0.001), and the odds of experiencing gestational hypertension by 10% (OR = 1.10, p < 0.001). Further research is needed to evaluate how specific WIC services influence maternal outcomes, particularly during public health emergencies.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; WIC programs; gestational diabetes; gestational hypertension; prenatal care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of this study; the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; the writing of this manuscript; or the decision to publish the results. In addition, Fayetta Justin is an employee of HCA Healthcare. HCA Healthcare had no role in the design of this study; the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; the writing of this manuscript; or the decision to publish the results. Therefore, Fayetta Justin and the remaining authors declare that they have no relevant financial or non-financial interests that could be perceived as potential conflicts of interest with this research.

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