Table 1.
Characteristics of the sample of WIC-participating children in Los Angeles County (2003–2016) by family income strata, sex and food package type (old v. new)
| Very low income (<50% FPL) | Low income (50-100% FPL) | Above poverty (>100% to <185%FPL) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | |||||||||||||||||||
| Old package (n 5433) | New package (n 5433) | Old package (n 5294) | New package (n 5294) | Old package (n 10 520) | New package (n 10 520) | Old package (n 10 206) | New package (n 10 206) | Old package (n 4177) | New package (n 4177) | Old package (n 4121) | New package (n 4121) | |||||||||||||
| n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | |
| Individual and family level characteristics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Initial WLZ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mean | 0·47 | 0·47 | 0·44 | 0·44 | 0·46 | 0·46 | 0·46 | 0·45 | 0·39 | 0·39 | 0·36 | 0·35 | ||||||||||||
| sd | 1·16 | 1·16 | 1·12 | 1·11 | 1·17 | 1·17 | 1·12 | 1·11 | 1·15 | 1·15 | 1·08 | 1·08 | ||||||||||||
| Obese at last visit* | 1410 | 26·0 | 1225 | 22·6 | 1116 | 21·1 | 1025 | 19·4 | 2652 | 25·2 | 2285 | 21·7 | 2148 | 21·1 | 2008 | 19·7 | 1022 | 24·5 | 858 | 20·5 | 837 | 20·3 | 740 | 18·0 |
| Race/ethnicity† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asian | 63 | 1·2 | 63 | 1·2 | 78 | 1·5 | 78 | 1·5 | 243 | 2·3 | 243 | 2·3 | 229 | 2·2 | 229 | 2·2 | 189 | 4·5 | 189 | 4·5 | 180 | 4·4 | 180 | 4·4 |
| Black | 478 | 8·8 | 478 | 8·8 | 467 | 8·8 | 467 | 8·8 | 272 | 2·6 | 272 | 2·6 | 269 | 2·6 | 269 | 2·6 | 94 | 2·3 | 94 | 2·3 | 98 | 2·4 | 98 | 2·4 |
| Hispanic | 4785 | 88·1 | 4785 | 88·1 | 4663 | 88·1 | 4663 | 88·1 | 9823 | 93·4 | 9823 | 93·4 | 9533 | 93·4 | 9533 | 93·4 | 3783 | 90·6 | 3783 | 90·6 | 3738 | 90·7 | 3738 | 90·7 |
| White | 103 | 1·9 | 103 | 1·9 | 83 | 1·6 | 83 | 1·6 | 172 | 1·6 | 172 | 1·6 | 168 | 1·7 | 168 | 1·7 | 108 | 2·6 | 108 | 2·6 | 105 | 2·6 | 105 | 2·6 |
| Other | 4 | 0·1 | 4 | 0·1 | 3 | 0·1 | 3 | 0·1 | 10 | 0·1 | 10 | 0·1 | 7 | 0·1 | 7 | 0·1 | 3 | 0·1 | 3 | 0·1 | 0 | 0·0 | 0 | 0·0 |
| Maternal language† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English | 2722 | 50·1 | 2722 | 50·1 | 2634 | 49·8 | 2634 | 49·8 | 3268 | 31·1 | 3268 | 31·1 | 3219 | 31·5 | 3219 | 31·5 | 2098 | 50·2 | 2098 | 50·2 | 1949 | 47·3 | 1949 | 47·3 |
| Spanish | 2678 | 49·3 | 2678 | 49·3 | 2618 | 49·5 | 2618 | 49·5 | 7103 | 67·5 | 7103 | 67·5 | 6854 | 67·2 | 6854 | 67·2 | 1994 | 47·7 | 1994 | 47·7 | 2099 | 50·9 | 2099 | 50·9 |
| Other | 33 | 0·6 | 33 | 0·6 | 42 | 0·8 | 42 | 0·8 | 149 | 1·4 | 149 | 1·4 | 133 | 1·3 | 133 | 1·3 | 85 | 2·0 | 85 | 2·0 | 73 | 1·8 | 73 | 1·8 |
| Maternal education† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| < High school | 3446 | 63·4 | 3446 | 63·4 | 3411 | 64·4 | 3411 | 64·4 | 6239 | 59·3 | 6239 | 59·3 | 6091 | 59·7 | 6091 | 59·7 | 1785 | 42·7 | 1785 | 42·7 | 1812 | 44·0 | 1812 | 44·0 |
| High school | 1600 | 29·5 | 1600 | 29·5 | 1533 | 29·0 | 1533 | 29·0 | 3327 | 31·6 | 3327 | 31·6 | 3162 | 31·0 | 3162 | 31·0 | 1674 | 40·1 | 1674 | 40·1 | 1650 | 40·0 | 1650 | 40·0 |
| > High school | 387 | 7·1 | 387 | 7·1 | 350 | 6·6 | 350 | 6·6 | 954 | 9·1 | 954 | 9·1 | 953 | 9·3 | 953 | 9·3 | 718 | 17·2 | 718 | 17·2 | 659 | 16·0 | 659 | 16·0 |
| Family size | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mean | 3·96 | 4·07 | 3·98 | 4·09 | 4·19 | 4·20 | 4·19 | 4·21 | 3·92 | 3·94 | 3·94 | 3·95 | ||||||||||||
| sd | 1·63 | 1·60 | 1·66 | 1·68 | 1·24 | 1·21 | 1·25 | 1·22 | 1·16 | 1·19 | 1·18 | 1·21 | ||||||||||||
| Neighbourhood-level characteristics‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Percentage poverty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| < 20 % | 2156 | 39·7 | 1517 | 27·9 | 2091 | 39·5 | 1431 | 27·0 | 4372 | 41·6 | 3040 | 28·9 | 4370 | 42·8 | 2949 | 28·9 | 2203 | 52·7 | 1651 | 39·5 | 2090 | 50·7 | 1681 | 40·8 |
| 20–40 % | 2766 | 50·9 | 3093 | 56·9 | 2687 | 50·8 | 3005 | 56·8 | 5394 | 51·3 | 6135 | 58·3 | 5079 | 46·8 | 5914 | 58·0 | 1777 | 42·5 | 2209 | 52·9 | 1886 | 45·8 | 2116 | 51·4 |
| > 40 % | 511 | 9·4 | 823 | 15·2 | 516 | 9·8 | 858 | 16·2 | 754 | 7·2 | 1345 | 12·8 | 757 | 7·4 | 1343 | 13·2 | 197 | 4·7 | 317 | 7·6 | 145 | 3·5 | 324 | 7·9 |
| Percentage high school grads | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| < 20 % | 9 | 0·2 | 2 | 0·0 | 8 | 0·2 | 1 | 0·0 | 20 | 0·2 | 0 | 0·0 | 23 | 0·3 | 2 | 0·0 | 9 | 0·2 | 1 | 0·0 | 7 | 0·2 | 0 | 0·0 |
| 20–40 % | 732 | 13·5 | 496 | 9·1 | 788 | 14·9 | 495 | 9·4 | 1412 | 13·4 | 941 | 8·9 | 1360 | 13·3 | 989 | 9·7 | 392 | 9·4 | 246 | 5·9 | 425 | 10·3 | 266 | 6·5 |
| > 40 % | 4692 | 86·4 | 4935 | 90·8 | 4498 | 85·0 | 4798 | 90·6 | 9088 | 86·4 | 9579 | 91·1 | 8820 | 86·4 | 9215 | 90·3 | 3776 | 90·4 | 3930 | 94·1 | 3689 | 89·5 | 3855 | 93·4 |
| Percentage non-White | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| < 20 % | 7 | 0·1 | 3 | 0·1 | 4 | 0·1 | 4 | 0·1 | 22 | 0·2 | 2 | 0·02 | 15 | 0·2 | 6 | 0·1 | 18 | 0·4 | 6 | 0·1 | 8 | 0·2 | 6 | 0·2 |
| 20–40 % | 53 | 1·0 | 47 | 0·9 | 44 | 0·8 | 31 | 0·6 | 135 | 1·3 | 139 | 1·3 | 123 | 1·2 | 129 | 1·3 | 70 | 1·7 | 69 | 1·7 | 61 | 1·5 | 83 | 2·0 |
| > 40 % | 5373 | 98·9 | 5383 | 99·1 | 5246 | 99·1 | 5259 | 99·3 | 10363 | 98·5 | 10379 | 98·7 | 10065 | 98·6 | 10071 | 98·7 | 4089 | 97·9 | 4102 | 98·2 | 4052 | 98·3 | 4032 | 97·8 |
WIC, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children; FPL, federal poverty level; WLZ, weight-for-length z-score.
*
Measured.
†
Self-reported.
‡
Obtained from the American Community Survey.