Effect of WIC supplemental feeding on hemoglobin and hematocrit of prenatal patients.

The present study was designed to assess the effect of WIC food supplementation on the hematological status of pregnant women as measured by hemoglobin and hematocrit values. Although the baseline hematological status of the WIC and non-WIC pregnant women was similar, the final values for the WIC participants were significantly higher than those for the non-participants. Analyses from the present study reveal that participation in the WIC program was associated with a positive and significant increase in the final hemoglobin and hematocrit measurements of pregnant women.