TABLE 1.

Sample Characteristics of Participants Currently or Previously Enrolled (ie, Early-Leaving) in WIC, 2020–2021 (n = 37)

	Participants
	Total (n = 35)	Current (n = 18)a	Early-leaving (n = 17)b	P c
Demographics and socioeconomic status
Interview language				.6
English	46	40	53
Spanish	38	45	29
Portuguese	16	15	18
Age, yearsd				.2
18–29	29	17	44
30–34	32	39	25
35–44	38	44	31
Raced				.9
Black	18	18	18
White	47	47	47
Other	35	35	35
Hispanic (vs not)	63	67	59	.04
Completed high school (vs not)e	73	67	80	.4
Employed (vs other)f	43	27	60	.07
SNAP				.02
Currently enrolled	34	33	35
Enrolled in the past	14	6	24
Never enrolled	46	61	29
Food insecure (vs not)g	49	39	59	.2
Household
Married (vs not)h	57	78	35	.01
Number of children at home
1	31	17	47	.1
2	31	33	29
≥3	37	50	24
History with WIC
First enrolled before 2014	43	59	23	.05
Referred by a doctor (vs other)	51	44	59	.3
Knew someone in WIC before joining	59	50	69	.3
Told others about WIC since joining	86	83	88	.7
Receive(d) formula (vs no)	51	22	82	<.001

Shown are the frequencies as percentages. Because of missing data, some categories may not sum to 100% of the study sample.

^aTwo participants (current WIC caregivers) chose not to complete the anonymous demographic survey; additionally, 1–2 participants chose not to respond to specific survey questions, including those on race, employment status, and date of first enrollment.

^bOne to 4 early-leaving participants chose not to respond to specific survey questions, including those on age, educational attainment, employment status, food security, date of first enrollment in WIC, and whether they knew someone in WIC before joining.

^cSignificant differences by WIC enrollment status (current or early-leaving) were determined from χ² tests.

^dOptions included Black or African American, white, American Indian, Asian American, multiracial/multiethnic, and other (open response).

^eOptions included less than a high school degree, high school degree or equivalent, some college but no degree, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, and graduate degree.

^fOptions included employed and working part time, employed and working full time, unemployed, and prefer not to say. Prefer not to say was counted as missing.

^gThose who responded agreed to 1 or both of the following questions included in the food insecure frequency: (1) Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (February 2020), we worried about whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more (may not add up to 20 because of missing data or incomplete surveys) and/or (2) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (February 2020), the food we bought just did not last, and we did not have money to get more.

^hThose who reported living with a partner were included in the married frequency.