Using Food Banks Linked To Poor Mental Health In Teens – And Lower Grades

Young people whose families use food banks are at increased risk of suffering poor mental health, according to a new U.K. study.

And food bank use is also linked to lower grades, in research that raises concerns about the long-term impact of food poverty on young people.

The report comes just a day after the publication of figures showing food prices in the U.K. rising at their fastest rate in almost 45 years.

Research found that more than half of young people in families that say they are struggling financially report poor mental health.

And rates of poor mental health are particularly high among those whose financial position has got worse since the start of the pandemic.

More than half (53%) of young people who started using food banks during the pandemic report poor mental health, compared with 41% of those who had not, according to research carried out by academics at University College London in conjunction with the U.K. charity the Sutton Trust.

Using food banks also affected student attainment. In exams taken at 16, students whose families reported using food banks scored half a grade lower than expected, given their previous academic record.

“The mental health and life chances of young people and their parents are being dramatically affected by post-pandemic cost of living pressures,” said Dr Jake Anders, deputy director of the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, and principal investigator on the study.

“These impacts are likely to be long-lasting, given the seeming link between food insecurity and performance in exams.”

The research is part of the Covid Social Mobility and Opportunities (Cosmo) study, tracking a cohort of 13,000 young people who are now aged 17 and 18.

Almost four in 10 (39%) of households reported that their financial situation was worse than before the pandemic, with one in 10 young people living in households classed as food insecure.

More than a third (36%) of young people whose parents used food banks were not eligible for free school meals, raising doubt over whether the threshold to qualify for the meals is set too high.

“That so many are food insecure but would not be considered eligible for free school meals under current rules suggests that the eligibility criteria are in need of urgent review,” said Dr Anders.

“No young people should be going hungry, especially if this has the potential for serious long-term impacts.”

The level of food insecurity rose dramatically during the pandemic, as disruption to supply chains caused shortages and sent prices soaring.

Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford led a campaign at the height of the pandemic, embarrassing the U.K. government into reversing a decision not to extend free school meals into the school holidays.

The U.K. now has around 2,500 food banks, up by 25% since 2020, with the charity the Trussell Trust distributing around 2.1 million food parcels in 2021/22.

“The link between financial insecurity, mental health and academic attainment is very concerning,” said Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust.

“Young people have already faced many challenges due to the pandemic, and now they and their families are facing serious financial pressures due to the cost-of-living crisis.

“Unless action is taken, there is likely to be a worsening of mental health which will affect a whole generation.”