Hunger, academic performance, and the moderating role of social support in Canadian youth

Abstract

1.7 million young Canadians experience hunger on a regular basis. Youth who experience hunger are more likely to underperform in school which in turn can lead to negative outcomes and trajectories that impact their long-term health, wellbeing, and ability to succeed in adult life. Public health interventions require an evidence base to address this phenomenon. This thesis will therefore provide observational epidemiological data to describe whether social supports, as a potential point of intervention, act as modifiers of relationships between hunger and the relative ability of adolescents to perform well in school. This study consists of two components: firstly, a contemporary descriptive analysis of the distribution of hunger within Canadian youth, and second, an evaluation of the relationship between hunger and academic performance among Canadian youth, and the potential moderating role of social support along this pathway. All analyses were conducted using the 2018 cycle of the Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Results from this study will be important theoretically and also provide foundational evidence in support of integrated efforts to support youth in academic and community settings.