Preview

Health History Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
590 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Health History Essay
Thought out the United Sates history, there has been many cases of health issues facing women and infants as a result of nutrition. Due to poverty, many can’t not afford a nutritional meal and this is placing both women and infants at risk. To help with this social problem, many programs have been create to address the issues. For example the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) was created to address this issue.
Nutritionally At-Risk Women and Infants
Nutrition is the key factor in the health and wellbeing of individuals. The foods we eat provides our bodies with the energy, protein, essential nourishment that our body needs. However, if our body does not have to nutrition it needs. It places the individual body, especially pregnant women, at risk of disease, such as diabetes, cancer, stroke and obesity. In addition, poor nutrition can also place infants in danger. Poor nutrition can lead to increased risk of diabetes, obesity and many more issues. According to “Maternal Nutrition and Birth Outcomes” stated that “Maternal nutrition plays a crucial role in influencing fetal growth and birth outcomes. It is a modifiable risk
…show more content…
According to “The WIC Program Background, Trends, and Issues” stated that the WIC program “was established during a time of growing public concern about malnutrition among low-income mothers and children.” (Oliveira, Racine, Olmsted & Ghelfi). WIC helps low-income pregnant and post-partum women, infants, and children up to age 5 that are at nutritional risk. WIC is a public health nutrition program under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Thought the help of WIC, there has been a reduced in premature births, low and very low birth-weight babies, fetal and infant deaths and an increase in health of women and children

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    WIC stands for Women, Infants and Children and was started as a pilot program by the federal government in 1972 and was put into permanent service in 1974. The WIC program is managed by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) which is a division of the Department of Agriculture (WIC 2010). This department is dedicated to reducing hunger in America, in cooperation with various organizations, by providing access to food. Their mission statement explains the agency 's goal which is "To safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care" (WIC 2010).…

    • 5258 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    WIC is an organization that stands for Women’s, Infant’s, and Children’s Supplemental Nutrition Program and was established in 1972 (Martinez-Schiferl, 2012). This program is federally funded and does as much as it can to help as many women and children as possible. Its goal is to help prevent health problems among infants and children under five years of age within low-income families (Overview: NWICA, 2011). The WIC program is active in many provinces, including all fifty states, the District of Columbia, 34 Indian Tribal Organizations, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam (Overview: NWICA, 2011). Those who benefited by the WIC program receive checks redeemable for specific foods that ensure good health, growth, and development such as baby formula, low-fat milk, cheese, eggs, fruit, juice, cereal, dried beans, and peanut butter, along with other types of food. The program only authorizes certain foods that are rich in nutrients that may be lacking in the participants’ diets (iron, calcium, and vitamins, etc.).…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    PHIL 1381 Essay 1

    • 841 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As children are born every day, parents want to give their children every chance at a normal and strong childhood. While the infant is not able to speak or express his or her opinion, a mother takes every opportunity to make sure the infant is medically stable. While the child is being fed by the mother, she is able to use byproducts that are marketed as the best milk for infants or is able to breast feed for natural nutrients from mother to child. While mothers are able to search for byproducts and other resources the main goal is keep the child healthy.…

    • 841 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Booooooooo

    • 365 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Infants and children who do not get the right type or amount of calories and nutrients…

    • 365 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 has since formed and developed many programs beneath it to aid those in poverty. The five top producing programs under the Child Nutrition Act in fiscal year 2010 include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the National School Lunch Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the School Breakfast Program. WIC serves 45-50 % of all infants born in the United States (Facing Hunger in America, 2011, para. 3). According to Kowaleski-Jones & Duncan (2002), much of the research on the effects of WIC participation on children has focused on the potential benefits of increased use of prenatal care, increased Medicaid savings, better infant outcomes, and less infant mortality. In addition to the previously stated, WIC’s effectiveness can be supported by the perception of “WIC Works,” (Kowaleski-Jones, & Duncan, 2002). The observation that “WIC works,” is driven by the great deal of research for WIC partakers to birth healthier offspring (Kowaleski-Jones, & Duncan, 2002). For example, each dollar spent on WIC saved the state at least $1.77 to $3.13 in health care costs (Bitler, & Currie, 2004).…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    During the fall of 1988, staff members of a public hospital located in the city of Charleston by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) became concerned by “an apparent increase in the use of cocaine by patients who were receiving prenatal treatment.” (Samaha, 2012, p. 252) In response to the increasing number, in April of 1989, MUSC instituted a drug testing policy. Women who came into MUSC that presented suspicion of drug use were subjected to the drug screenings. If the tests were positive, it was reported to police and the women were subsequently arrested. MUSC worked in conjunction with the Solicitor for Charleston in the prosecution of mothers whose children tested positive for drugs at birth.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ch 1 4 Hw And Quiz

    • 3129 Words
    • 16 Pages

    Undernutrition in pregnancy can have lifelong consequences for mother and child. Select all of the…

    • 3129 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Understanding WIC program

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Currently, the United States government funds several programs aimed at promoting good nutrition in low-income populations. Some programs include school lunch program and CalFresh/SNAP which benefits people of all ages. In addition to these programs, there is another nutrition program targeted toward pregnant women and their children. WIC is a federally funded program that began in 1972 to assist women in having healthier pregnancies and babies, while lowering the infant mortality in the United States. In California, the WIC program is sponsored through the Department of Public Health. Eighty-four WIC agencies provide services to over 1.45 million participants at over 650 sites throughout California.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    WIC PROGRAM

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Food and Nutrition Service, under the guidelines of the Department of Agriculture, operates the WIC Program. WIC is an acronym for women, infant, and children. The WIC program is a nutritional program that benefits: women who are pregnant, women who have had their babies; and are breastfeeding or not breastfeeding, infants, and children up to age of five. Clients of the WIC program are low-income individuals, who are nutritionally at risk. WIC is funded federally through a grant that allocates a designated amount of funds each year.…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    General Health: "I am very healthy, and feel that I am healthy as a horse."…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Fate can bring you to certain outcomes. First of all, TLA shares “The car that hit us was driven by an old man who had a heart attack and veered wildly into our lane, not giving me a moment to react. I’d had my seatbelt on, and I awakened in the hospital with no memory of the accident except the back and head and leg injuries.” (TLA 34). When Holly and Jake got into the accident, only Holly survived. She felt that she could not live without him, and that life was so unfair and so unforgiving. Jake, as well as the what-ifs, were the only thing on her mind; what if he was driving, what if he wore his seatbelt, what if we had taken the bus that day. She knew that if Jake, the better driver, was in control of the wheel, or if he had worn the seat belt like Holly pressed him to, everything would be different. If he…

    • 1688 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Research has shown that the WIC program has been playing an important role in improving birth outcomes and containing health care costs. Studies have found that WIC has a positive effect on children 's diets and diet related outcomes such as higher mean intake of iron, vitamin C, thiamin, niacin, and vitamin B6, without an increase in food energy intake, positive effects on the intakes of ten nutrients without an adverse effect on fat or cholesterol, and more effective that other cash income or food stamps at improving preschoolers ' intake of key nutrients. (Caan, 1997)…

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Child Hunger In America

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages

    According to The U.S. Department of Agriculture (2011) “Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.” Food insecurity impacts children and communities. Moreover, an American hungry child is not seen with a big stomach nor someone suffering from malnutrition. It is possible that the signs of a hungry child are not visible and may be hidden to society.…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sociology of health examines the interaction between society and health. It targets to identify the ways social life has an impact of morbidity and mortality rates (Timmermans, Stefan & Steven Haas 2008). The term health is complex and difficult to define, as it varies between individuals. What individuals define as health is influenced by a number of factors such as; age, culture, gender and social class (Porter, 1999). The World Health Organization has defined health as “A complete state of physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence if disease of infirmity.” The sociology of health is fundamental to the nursing practice as it allows nurses as care givers to the ill, to have a better understanding, knowledge and respect for patients and their individuality. This informative piece intends to gain you a better understanding of what sociology of nursing is and how it is applicable to the nursing practice.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Example Of A Wic Essay

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutritional Services is one of many federal programs that provides health care and proper nutrition to low income women during the antenatal and postpartum periods. The duty of WIC is to protect the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at an increased risk of nutrition deficiencies by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, and referrals to health care (Better Nutrition, n.d).…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays