Food insecurity, cognitive flexibility, and metacognitive awareness among high school students

This study examined the relationship between food insecurity, cognitive flexibility, and metacognitive awareness among 325 high school students. Data were collected using validated scales and analyzed with multinomial logistic regression. Higher metacognitive awareness was associated with a greater likelihood of having no or low food insecurity compared with frequent food insecurity, whereas low household income and larger household size were linked to increased food insecurity risk. Cognitive flexibility was not a significant predictor after adjustment. The findings suggest that metacognitive awareness may be relevant to adolescent food insecurity and that school-based support should be integrated with broader food access policies.