Exposure to Food Insecurity during Adolescence and Educational Attainment

Abstract

Previous research has documented the negative consequences of exposure to food insecurity over the early childhood period in terms of health and cognitive and behavioral outcomes, but less research has explored the consequences of exposure to food insecurity at other points in childhood. We examine the association between food insecurity during adolescence and educational attainment. We begin by exploring a conceptual framework for the potential mechanisms that might lead adolescents who experience food insecurity to have differential educational outcomes. Then, we use descriptive and regression analysis to see whether food insecurity is associated with lower educational attainment using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Transition to Adulthood Survey. We find that exposure to food insecurity during adolescence predicts lower levels of educational attainment by reducing college attendance.

Children’s centres, families and food insecurity in times of crisis

“…Food insecurity is a major political, social policy and educational issue. It is experienced by millions of children in the UK and across the world and is associated with a range of negative social, emotional, developmental and educational outcomes (Jyoti et al, 2005;Aceves-Martins et al, 2018;Heflin et al, 2020). Despite its obvious importance, research on the interconnections between food insecurity, families, education and key institutions such as children's centres remains relatively sparse, particularly in the UK.…”

“…This amounts to 2.6 million children living in food insecure households (The Food Foundation, 2022). Food insecurity is pervasive, has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and inflicts damaging consequences on parents and children (Aceves-Martins et al, 2018;Heflin et al, 2020;Loopstra 2020;Parnham et al, 2020;Power et al, 2020). This is deeply concerning, and a major social policy issue not least because food insecurity has damaging effects on children's development, educational attainment and life-chances (Jyoti et al, 2005;Heflin et al, 2019Heflin et al, , 2020Melchior et al, 2012).…”

“…Food insecurity is pervasive, has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and inflicts damaging consequences on parents and children (Aceves-Martins et al, 2018;Heflin et al, 2020;Loopstra 2020;Parnham et al, 2020;Power et al, 2020). This is deeply concerning, and a major social policy issue not least because food insecurity has damaging effects on children's development, educational attainment and life-chances (Jyoti et al, 2005;Heflin et al, 2019Heflin et al, , 2020Melchior et al, 2012). Children's lack of access to adequate food has come to recent public and political prominence following Marcus Rashford's campaign to end child food poverty and extend free school meal coverage.…”

Schools and food charity in England

“…Whilst the growth of foodbanks across the UK and other wealthy nations has been well documented (Fisher 2017;Garthwaite 2017;Riches 2018;Loopstra et al 2018a), the development of charitable food aid in schools has received almost no scholarly attention. This is significant for the educational research community because it is crucial to better understand the sheer scale of the challenge faced by schools in responding to child food insecurity and hunger -both of which have a highly damaging impact on a host of child outcomes, including educational attainment (Cook and Frank 2008;Gallegos et al 2021;Heflin et al 2019;Heflin et al 2020). Child food insecurity and 'holiday hunger' are also contentious political issues, with footballer Marcus Rashford's campaign to End Child Food Poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic acting as a lightning rod for public debate about the role of the state in tackling child poverty and hunger (Earl and Lalli 2020;Long et al 2022;Lalli 2023).…”

Food Insecurity and the Opioid Crisis

“…Food insecurity is associated with reduced work productivity, school achievement, and cognitive functioning when mental bandwidth becomes preoccupied with identifying a food procurement strategy, leading to a decrease in executive functioning (Mani et al 2013). Food insecurity–related declines in executive functioning during adolescence, in particular, may lead to an increase in risky or negative behaviors, which translate into increased teen births, school suspensions, and high school drop-out (Heflin, Kukla-Acevedo, and Darolia 2019; Heflin, Darolia, and Kukla-Acevedo 2020). Finally, food insecurity also impacts personal relationships and family formation: it is associated with a reduction in the probability that unmarried parents will marry after the birth of a child and an increase in family dissolution among married or cohabiting partners with a young child (Lerman 2002).…”