Childhood Food Insecurity: Factors Associated with the National School Lunch Program in the U.S.

Almost a quarter of all U.S. children are food insecure. This translates into roughly 17.2 million or more than 1 in 5 children living at risk of hunger (Feeding America 2011). Several studies have demonstrated that childhood food insecurity opens risks of poor cognitive development among young children and is associated to poorer school performance. Some of the conditions that food insecure children are more likely to exhibit include behavioral problems, poorer physical and psychosocial function and development, higher rates of anxiety, depression, chronic health conditions, and lower math and reading achievement scores in schools (Nord 2009). In addition, children living in food-insecure households face elevated risks of problematic health and higher associated health costs.