Knowledge Translation and WIC Food Package Regulation Change

Abstract

Objective

Knowledge Translation (KT) is the exchange, synthesis, and ethically-sound application of knowledge. A case study methodology is used to examine KT at the organizational level of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.

Method

The study used purposeful sampling to select WIC informants from state WIC agencies to participate in semi-structured interviews about their individual experiences during the 2009 WIC regulation change process. Thematic coding of retrospective semi-structured interviews with key informants from WIC state agencies revealed key components of the state-level WIC regulation implementation process, and key constructs of Organizational Readiness for Knowledge Translation in the WIC program.

Results

WIC informants highlight that decisions made by WIC state agencies regarding how to appraise, synthesize, and adapt evidence or regulation change are constrained by the KT decisions made by federal agencies. WIC state agencies should assess their level of readiness for KT in terms of 1) innovation readiness; 2) personal readiness; and 3) institutional readiness.

Conclusions

This WIC case study can help decision-makers to understand the KT process of implementing evidence-informed regulation changes, identify factors that could influence states’ ability to be prepared for implementing changes, and gauge “practicality” of future WIC regulation changes.

Keywords:

• WIC
• knowledge translation
• evidence-informed decision-making

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Ruijia Niu and Yu Shen for serving as second coder for some of the interviews.

Authorship

NZ, SKW, AL, and MC contributed to study concept and designed research. NZ conducted research. NZ analyzed data and led qualitative data coding. NZ wrote the paper. SKW, AL, and MC provided valuable input and revised the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was completed as part of N.Z.’s DrPH dissertation. It was supported by the Tufts University/University of Connecticut Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program Dissertation Grant.