As part of its internal research and demonstration agenda, Altarum Institute invested $2.5 million to develop and pilot systems change models to confront the epidemic of childhood obesity. Through this initiative, called the Childhood Obesity Prevention Project, researchers’ piloted systems change models in three critical domains: public health and health care, early learning, and food and nutrition systems. As part of the food and nutrition domain, Altarum staff completed an evaluation of the Federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which is well positioned to promote healthy diets among young children and their families. WIC helps to prevent childhood obesity, reduce premature births and low birth weight, lower infant mortality, and improve cognitive function.

During this 2-year project, a team of Altarum staff, as well as external advisors and partners, developed and implemented sector-specific projects designed to support and promote physical activity and healthy eating. The team worked to weave these efforts together and to disseminate successful methods and changes in policies or practices. To ensure its success, the project was organized by a group of established leaders from other nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention collaborations.

WIC, which serves more than half of all infants born in the U.S., was redesigned to promote healthier eating habits and reduce the childhood obesity epidemic. WIC is a far-reaching and successful federal program bringing supplemental food prescriptions to low-income women and children who are at nutritional risk. It combines early behavior intervention in pregnant women and newborns, personalized nutrition services, and access to healthy foods. Altarum’s latest report on the revisions was released in May of 2011, The Impact of the Revised WIC Package on Small WIC Vendors: Insight from a Four-State Evaluation.

The WIC package was changed in October 2009 to provide food that is lower in calories, saturated fats, and cholesterol. It now includes highly nutritious foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. As WIC serves low-income families, where instances of obesity are highest, changes in nutrition level can have a tremendous impact on the population served. Altarum’s research focused on how effective the changes were on multiple levels. The latest report evaluated small stores’ ability to provide these options in low-income areas, where convenience stores and gas stations are often the only place to purchase food. The research is valuable for policymakers, nonprofit leaders and others working with the WIC population.

“It is imperative that the members of the national WIC community be able to tell our success stories to elected officials and their staff with as much clarity and potency as we can muster. They need to hear that WIC is really working! The research repeatedly, and from different angles, demonstrates that the policy changes implemented last year are having a positive impact on participant health and community food access” said Executive Director, Laurie True, of the California WIC Association.

As these mission projects conclude, Altarum’s next chapter is already underway. Early in 2011, Altarum launched the second phase of its research and demonstration program with the creation of four centers focused on critical drivers of health system reform – Elder Care and Advanced Illness, Healthy Youth and Child Development, Consumer Choice in Health Care and Sustainable Health Spending. Earnings from Altarum’s operations will fund these initiatives, and philanthropic support will be leveraged to enhance the projects and extend mission success as they seek to solve some of the most perplexing questions in our nation’s health system.