Table 1.
Descriptive statistics of WIC-eligible children by birth cohort.
| Variables | Birth Year 2000–2008 | Birth Year 2009–2014 | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breastfeeding | |||
| Ever-breastfed | 64.36% | 68.58% | 0.005 |
| Breastfed at 6 months | 37.98% | 33.29% | 0.024 |
| WIC Participation | 0.000 | ||
| Eligible participants | 82.64% | 87.13% | |
| Eligible nonparticipants | 17.36% | 12.87% | |
| Child Characteristics | |||
| Age (months) | 28.54 (17.44) | 19.74 (15.97) | 0.000 |
| Male | 52.45% | 49.54% | 0.067 |
| Race | 0.000 | ||
| White | 25.31% | 22.63% | |
| Black | 22.20% | 27.63% | |
| Mexican | 36.43% | 26.92% | |
| Other Hispanic | 9.49% | 13.00% | |
| Other races | 6.57% | 9.82% | |
| Family Characteristics | |||
| Marital status | 0.616 | ||
| Married/living with partner | 66.36% | 65.19% | |
| Widowed/divorced/separated | 15.25% | 15.16% | |
| Never married | 18.40% | 19.65% | |
| Educational attainment | <0.001 | ||
| Less than high school | 43.74% | 34.31% | |
| High school graduate/GED | 28.30% | 29.00% | |
| Some college/AA degree | 21.98% | 29.26% | |
| College graduate or higher Income–poverty ratio |
5.98% 0.87 (0.45) |
7.43% 0.85 (0.47) |
0.084 |
| Ever received food stamp (Yes) | 53.61% | 63.20% | <0.001 |
| Sample Size (N) | 2770 | 1538 |
Note: Standard deviations are in parentheses.