Food security and personal well-being among primary school students living in poverty in Chile: a quantitative post-pandemic study

Objective The objective of this study was to examine, in the post-pandemic context, the relationship between food security and personal well-being in primary school students attending public schools in Chile who live in extreme poverty. Using a quantitative approach focused on children's experiences, the research sought to provide empirical evidence to understand how food conditions are associated with personal well-being as reported directly by children. Method An explanatory-exploratory correlational study was conducted with a sample of 972 students aged 10–14 years old, belonging to the Families Program in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. The Personal Well-being Index for Schoolchildren (PWI-SC) and the Child Food Security Scale (CFSS) were used, along with sociodemographic and nutritional variables. The analyses included descriptive statistics, factor analyses, comparisons of means, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression models. Results The results showed a positive and statistically significant association between food security and personal well-being, although the magnitude was low. The regression model explained 17% of the variance in children's personal well-being, identifying skipping main meals, lack of a healthy diet, and insufficient food consumption as significant predictors. No significant differences in well-being were observed according to nutritional status; however, higher levels of food insecurity were identified in overweight and obese children. Likewise, differences in personal well-being were recorded according to educational level, with lower levels in higher grades. Conclusion The findings confirm that food security is modestly associated with children's personal well-being, especially in contexts of extreme poverty. The evidence highlights the importance of everyday food experiences in children's perception of well-being, reinforcing the need for comprehensive educational and social policies that guarantee regular and quality access to food, especially in the post-pandemic scenario.