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. 2020 Oct;25(12):1930-1939.
doi: 10.1177/1359105318783028. Epub 2018 Jun 25.

No food for thought: Food insecurity is related to poor mental health and lower academic performance among students in California's public university system

Suzanna M Martinez  1 , Edward A Frongillo  2 , Cindy Leung  3 , Lorrene Ritchie  1
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Free article

No food for thought: Food insecurity is related to poor mental health and lower academic performance among students in California's public university system

Suzanna M Martinez et al. J Health Psychol. 2020 Oct.
Free article

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between food insecurity, mental health, and academic performance among college students in a California public university system (N = 8705). Structural equation modeling was performed to examine a direct path from food insecurity to student grade point average and an indirect path through mental health, controlling for demographic characteristics. Food insecurity was related to lower student grade point average directly and indirectly through poor mental health. These findings support the need for future interventions and policy on the importance of providing students with the basic needs to succeed both academically and in the future.

Keywords: academic performance; basic needs; college students; food insecurity; mental health.

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