Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
Advisor
Jeannette Manger
Abstract
Child poverty is an ongoing issue in the United States, placing children at a risk of nutritional deficits. While community interventions and reduced price school lunch programs have improved food insecurity outcomes for children, there is limited knowledge of how these programs can alleviate potential health problems in rural versus urban areas. Thus, this project aims to compare various variables such as food environment index, food insecurity, and enrollment in reduced price school lunch among counties in Ohio of different poverty levels as well as whether the counties are rural or nonrural. Methods: Factors such as food insecurity, food environment index, enrollment in free and reduced lunch, and child poverty were analyzed in rural and non-rural Ohio counties using the 2025 County Health Rankings. An independent t-test analyzed the difference in food insecurity between children living in poverty in rural and non-rural Ohio counties. A Spearman correlation described the relationship between poverty and food insecurity in Ohio. ANOVA was used to assess differences in the food environment across counties grouped by child poverty level. A regression predicted the relationship between children enrolled in free and reduced lunch and food insecurity, and Spearman tests examined the correlation between children in poverty and those in free and reduced lunch in rural and non-rural counties. Results: Ohio counties with greater child poverty were significantly correlated with worse food environment indexes, greater enrollment in free and reduced lunch, and higher food insecurity. These trends were consistent both in rural and non-rural Ohio counties.
Repository Citation
Chegu, V., & Puthoff, M. (2026). Child Poverty and Nutritional Health in Rural and Non-Rural Ohio Counties. Wright State University. Dayton, Ohio.
