A one-year gap in access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children can cause a significant nutritional reduction in 5-year-olds' diets.
A new study from the University of Georgia found that many kids are left without food assistance support for up to a year. The study points out that kids lose access to WIC once they turn five and do not receive a nutritional diet until they enter kindergarten.
During that one-year gap, kids’ diets can suffer up to a 20% reduction in nutritional quality.
A temporarily decreased nutritional diet can have lasting effects. UGA Associate Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics Travis Smith says it can lead to long-term unhealthy eating habits.