The Aetna Foundation has awarded Altarum Institute $131,000 to study the ability of American Indians living on tribal lands in Arizona to buy fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods that are prescribed by the federal government’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Altarum Institute’s study is aimed at improving the nutritional intake and health of American Indians who receive WIC benefits and who are at high risk of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension. Preliminary data suggest that many of the nearly 65,000 WIC participants who live on tribal lands are unable to benefit fully from the program because their food outlets have difficulty stocking fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and other healthful foods prescribed by the WIC program. Cultural barriers may also play a role in limiting the use of WIC benefits.

To better understand the factors that may impede American Indians' ability to purchase healthful foods with their WIC benefits, Altarum will focus on 12 Tribal WIC programs and one Urban Indian agency in Arizona. Researchers will analyze WIC redemption patterns; identify barriers that beneficiaries may face, such as availability and quality of approved food, cultural preferences, and long distances to WIC-approved food outlets; and identify barriers that tribal grocery outlets may face, including inadequate wholesale food distribution systems, limited storage, extensive transportation needs, and minimum stocking requirements. Additionally, researchers will conduct in-depth case studies of successful WIC redemption programs among the 12 Tribal programs to pinpoint best practices that can be replicated across Indian Tribal Organization-managed WIC programs around the nation.

“The federal WIC program has the potential to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by promoting healthful eating habits among young children, particularly in the American Indian population where nearly 35 percent of children ages 2–5 are either overweight or obese,” said Loren Bell, Institute Fellow and co-director of the Center for Food Assistance and Nutrition at Altarum. “But WIC’s healthful food guidelines can be effective only if the people receiving its benefits can purchase healthful food. By developing data specific to the needs of American Indians living on tribal lands, we believe our findings will help make nutrient-dense food more available and accessible. Additionally, our work can guide federal officials charged with improving the health of American Indian populations in their review of policies that support or impede the full use of the WIC program and determine the technical assistance and resources needed for the program to be more effective.”

The results of Altarum’s study are expected in the fall of 2013.