This brief, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, examines how rural families use four of the major federal child nutrition programs. It finds that 29 percent of rural families with children participate but that there are barriers to these nutrition programs, such as the lack of public transportation and high operating costs for rural schools…

Malnutrition is a term used to indicate a general condition of less than normal physical and mental vigor. While the causes of malnutrition are many, incorrect or inadequate diet appears all too often as one of the causes. School feeding, which affords not only an opportunity, to supplement the home food supply but also to teach correct food…