Walking Distance of Participants to WIC Clinics
A Spatial Analysis
Introduction
The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program aims to serve low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to the age of 5 who are nutritionally at risk. WIC provides healthful foods, nutrition education and community resources via referrals to health care and other social services.
Problems
Over the years, the number of participants has steadily declined statewide and more pronouncedly within San Bernardino County (SBC). Some clinics experience growth in participation-to-caseload, while others show a significant decline.
Improving economic conditions in recent years may play a role in the decline in participation. Since applicants must have incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines to be eligible or be determined income-eligible based on participation in certain other assistance programs, the number of people eligible for WIC is closely linked to the health of the U.S. economy. Falling WIC participation may also reflect the decline in the number of U.S. births.
The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the challenges of vulnerable populations to access food resources and routine acute care—resulting in a significant decline in WIC participation.
Objectives
Thus, the objective of this analysis is to examine potential barriers to service for 17 clinics, serving 68,577 WIC participants throughout SBC.
Methods
A participant density per square mile layer was generated as a base-layer from the participants’ address geocoded data. This was done using a fishnet grid of 1.0-mile by 1.0-mile, and then a count of participants per cell, to create this participant density layer.
Analysis (cont'd)
The WIC Clinics were geocoded using their street addresses and their points were mapped over the density grid.
Analysis (cont'd)
Network Analysis was used to capture the number of participants within 0.5 and 1.0-mile walking distance of WIC clinics.
A buffer of 0.5 and 1.0-mile was created around each clinic to visualize the coverage and proximity of the clinic to densely populated neighborhoods.
Walking distance was defined as the distance for pedestrians to follow an optimal path towards a designated facility.
Analysis (cont'd)
Public transit lines were mapped to show the routes a WIC participant with no personal means of transport would take to the clinics if living farther than walking distance.
Analysis (cont'd)
Additionally, a 0.5-mile buffer was created around the SBC local public transit lines to capture potential participants within the proximal radius.
Results
GIS analysis shows that there are 68,577 WIC participants living in SBC. Of these participants, there are 2,128 (3.1%) and 9,087 (13.3%) who live within 0.5 and 1.0-mile walking distance of a WIC clinic, respectively.
Additionally, there are 59,615 (86.9%) participants who live within a 0.5-mile distance along a public transit route.
Conclusion
These analyses indicate that there are still pockets of underserved populations in high-density areas of WIC eligible participants.
The result of this analysis will drive future decisions to relocate and/or open new WIC clinics in order to increase the number of participation-to-caseload, and thus fully serve our population who are at the most vulnerable stage of life.
