"I Didn't Have to Struggle": Caregivers' Perspectives on the Synergistic Interplay of WIC and SNAP on Family Health.

Abstract

We explored how increased Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits interacted for dually enrolled households. Twenty-five parents dually enrolled in WIC and SNAP in the spring of 2020 shared perceptions of expanded benefits and reduced administrative requirements via semistructured interviews. Specifically, parents shared that benefit increases minimized monthly cycles of limited or uncertain access to food, barriers to WIC redemption led many to prioritize SNAP benefits, reduced administrative requirements facilitated staying enrolled in both programs, and administrative flexibilities and benefit increases supported WIC and SNAP utilization. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print September 25, 2025:e1-e6. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308259).