Graduation Year
2014
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Community and Family Health
Major Professor
Carol A. Bryant, Ph.D., M.S.
Committee Member
Russell Kirby, Ph.D., M.S., FACE
Committee Member
Martha L. Coulter, Dr.P.H., M.S.W.
Committee Member
Julie Baldwin, Ph.D.
Committee Member
William Sappenfield, M.D., M.P.H.
Committee Member
Kathleen O’Rourke, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Keywords
CHAID, Focus Groups, Nonparticipation, Outreach, Survival Analysis
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation is to understand why individuals enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) fail to retrieve food vouchers, miss WIC appointments, and become inactive in program components. In Kentucky, mothers who fail to pick up food instruments for 60 days are automatically terminated from the program. The specific research questions that guided this study are: (1) Which segments of enrollees are at greatest and least risks of nonparticipation in the WIC program? (2) How do predisposing, enabling and need characteristics impact WIC nonparticipation among eligible mothers? (3) How do WIC enrollees describe their experiences using WIC? (4) What do WIC enrollees report as reasons for nonparticipation while still eligible? Addressing these research questions will inform the development of practical outreach solutions specifically tailored for the purpose of mitigating nonparticipation in WIC and contribute to our understanding of the factors that deter eligible families from using government assistance programs like WIC.
Scholar Commons Citation
Panzera, Anthony Dominic, "Understanding Factors Determining Early Termination from a Government Assistance Program for Maternal and Child Health: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)" (2014). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/5616