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Abstract
This research examined the relationship between food insecurity, the National School
Lunch Program (NSLP), and academic achievement in Georgia’s public school system.
Georgia is located in the southern U.S. states, where food insecurity has been particularly
prevalent. A multilevel Poisson generalized linear model was used to examine the
relationship between food insecurity and academic achievement. Findings confirm a strong
inverse relationship between food insecurity, as exhibited by participation in the National
School Lunch Program, and academic achievement for elementary-age children. The
strength of the relationship between food insecurity and academic achievement was different
for the younger, elementary-age students (fifth grade) than for the older, middle school-age
(eighth grade) students, a key distinction between this study and other research.