What is food insecurity and how does it impact child mental health and wellbeing?

Introduction

Food security refers to whether an individual can access food in the quantity and quality that they need to live an active and healthy lifestyle (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2025; Rabbitt et al., 2024). In comparison, food insecurity occurs when the availability of, or access to, nutritious, affordable and safe foods is limited or unreliable (Barnidge et al., 2017; Bowden, 2020).

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in eight (13.2% or 1.3 million) Australian households experienced food insecurity and 16% of family households with dependent children experienced food insecurity in 2023 (ABS, 2025).

Some populations are more at risk of experiencing food insecurity than others. This includes low-income earners, people living in outer regional and remote areas, single-parent households, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people experiencing homelessness (ABS, 2024; 2025; Ipsos Public Affairs, 2025). In 2023, 41% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experienced food insecurity, with higher rates reported in remote communities (ABS, 2025).

Food insecurity can affect mental health and wellbeing for both children and parents (Frongillo et al, 2024; Gallegos et al, 2021; O’Sullivan et al., 2024). However, families may be reluctant to seek help due to the stigma, shame and embarrassment associated with being food insecure or the need to access food relief (Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee [LCLSIC], 2024).

This short article introduces the concept of food insecurity and summarises the research on its impacts on children. It discusses the prevalence of food insecurity and the factors associated with it.

Note: this article mostly focuses on evidence based in Western, high-income countries. It does not cover issues related to food insecurity in low- and middle-income countries.

What is food security and insecurity?

Food insecurity is not only about hunger or inadequate dietary intake and nutrition but also encompasses factors such as:

• people’s choice and control over what food they can access
• the cultural appropriateness of available food
• their participation in wider issues relating to food access, consumption and production (e.g. food labelling regulations and nutrition standards; Clapp et al., 2022).

Food security can be described as having six dimensions (Clapp et al., 2022; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations et al., 2024):

• Availability: the reliable supply of quality food, including how food is produced/obtained (local production or imported) and supplied (via food outlets).
• Access: physical and economic access to food that is safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate.
• Utilisation: the resources that individuals and households have to transform food into adequate meals (e.g. food preparation and feeding practices, access to clean water and cooking equipment).
• Stability: the consistent supply of food. This can be impacted by various climatic, economic, social and political factors.
• Agency: the capacity of individuals or groups to make informed decisions about what food they produce and eat and their ability to be involved in processes that shape food systems (e.g. policies and governance).
• Sustainability: the ability of food systems to provide food security and nutrition in the long term, including for future generations.

These six dimensions show that food security and insecurity are influenced by a complex interaction of social, economic and environmental factors (locally, nationally and globally) that impact access to food at the household, community and population level.

How common is food insecurity among Australian families and who is most likely to be impacted?

In 2023, Australian households with dependent children were more likely to experience food insecurity than households with no dependent children (16% compared to 8.4%) and one-parent households with dependent children were more likely to experience food insecurity than two-parent households with dependent children (34% compared to 11.3%; ABS, 2025).

Further, among households with children it was estimated that 19.4% of households with children aged 0 to 4 years were food insecure compared with 17.6% of households with children aged 5 to 17 years (ABS, 2025).

Research indicates that poverty and low income are the most common factors linked to child-related food insecurity (Dana et al., 2025). Recent research by Foodbank Australia reported 40% of Australian households with children and nearly 7 in 10 (68%) single-parent households experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months (Ipsos Public Affairs, 2025).¹ The Foodbank Australia report, based on a survey of 4,260 Australian adults, found higher rates of food insecurity among certain groups: low-income households, single-parent families, households with a person with disability and households living in rented accommodation (Ipsos Public Affairs, 2025). Among food insecure households, 79% said cost of living was the main contributing factor.

Research also suggests that food insecurity and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked – children that experience ACEs are at higher risk of experiencing food insecurity compared with children who have not experienced ACEs (Baiden et al., 2020; Jackson et al., 2019; Royer et al., 2022).

How does food insecurity impact children?

Research suggests that food insecurity is associated with multiple undesirable outcomes for children. Evidence shows that food insecurity has negative impacts on:

• children’s mental health (e.g. social, emotional and psychological outcomes)
• physical health (i.e. weight/obesity)
• behaviours (e.g. internalising and externalising behaviours)
• development (e.g. cognitive skills)
• academic outcomes (Abraham et al., 2025; Cain et al., 2022; Gallegos et al., 2021; Frongillo et al., 2024; Walls et al., 2022).

Researchers have suggested that food insecurity impacts children through two main ways – diet and nutrition, and psychosocial and emotional impacts (Abraham et al., 2025, Frongillo et al., 2024).

Families experiencing food insecurity often have more limited food choices than food-secure households, including less access to (and consumption of) fresh fruit and vegetables (Eicher-Miller & Zhao, 2018; Turnbull et al., 2021; Velardo et al., 2021). As a result, children may consume fewer high quality and nutritious foods, which negatively impacts their physical and cognitive growth and development (Gallegos et al., 2021; Frongillo et al., 2024).

Other studies have found an association between food insecurity and poorer eating habits or disordered eating behaviours in children and adolescents. This can include meal skipping, binge eating and overeating in the absence of hunger. These behaviours can also negatively impact child development (Abraham et al., 2025; Bidopia et al., 2023).

Experiencing food insecurity can also lead to feelings of worry and distress among children, as well as negatively affecting their social interactions with family and friends (Frongillo et al., 2024). This can arise, for example, from worrying about not having enough food or from feelings of sadness, frustration or embarrassment related to their family’s food situation (Leung et al., 2020). There is also evidence that the strain or stress that food insecurity can place on families, and family relationships, negatively affects children’s ability to play, learn or relax (O’Sullivan et al., 2024).

The effects of food insecurity on the mental health and wellbeing of parents and caregivers can also negatively impact their children’s wellbeing and strain family dynamics (Cain et al., 2022). Data drawn from an Australian qualitative study involving 132 children (aged 6 to 16 years) has highlighted how food insecurity can place pressure on families. This includes examples of parents feeling anguish at not being able to provide good quality, affordable food for their children, as well as children seeking to reduce the burden on their parents by helping them save money or source cheap groceries (O’Sullivan et al., 2024).

Food insecurity can also contribute to social isolation as families may reduce or withdraw from social activities due to financial constraints and the stigma of not being able to provide food. Additionally, children may not be allowed to visit other people’s homes due to their inability to reciprocate hospitality (LCLSIC, 2024).

Conclusion

Food insecurity is common among Australian families with children. Research shows that food insecurity is linked to multiple undesirable outcomes for children. It is therefore important that practitioners who work with children and families have an awareness and understanding of what food insecurity is, as well as its impacts on child development and wellbeing, so that they can recognise it in the community and offer appropriate supports. Practitioners can provide support, advocacy and resources to identify and address food insecurity and its impacts.

Note

1. The apparent differences between the ABS and Foodbank Australia food insecurity estimates are due to differences in how they collected data and measured food security. For example, the ABS uses a shorter survey than Foodbank Australia and it does not include child-specific measures of food insecurity. The survey data collection methods are also different.