Health and Well-Being

Food insecurity among military-connected families is more than a nutrition issue — it is a stability and readiness concern. With roughly one in four military households affected, the stress of unmet basic needs can strain mental health, family functioning, and overall well-being. This blog post covers the foundations of food insecurity for military-connected populations and its connection with IPV.

Nutrition and sleep are more connected than you might think. In this blog, we explore how what we eat can influence how we sleep — and how sleep patterns, in turn, affect dietary choices and overall health. It’s a bidirectional relationship with meaningful implications for wellbeing.

Employment challenges faced by military spouses can significantly affect mental health, with research showing higher rates of depressive symptoms among those who are unemployed or underemployed. This blog explores how frequent relocations, military-related stress, and barriers to employment intersect—and highlights resources that can help support spouses’ well-being.

Friendship and belonging are essential for middle school students (grades 6-9), shaping their well-being, identity formation, and academic engagement (Tsou et al., 2024). For neurodiverse youth, including children with autism, ADHD, and other developmental disabilities, structured opportunities to connect meaningfully with peers can reduce loneliness and enhance participation in a variety of activities (Hassani et al., 2022; Zanuttini & Little, 2022). Educators can foster belonging by embedding peer-mediated interventions, creating inclusive routines, and elevating student voice in the daily routines that are present in most middle schools (Biggs et al., 2023; Littlefair et al., 2024).

Friendship in the elementary years is more than just playing together; it is the foundation of feeling included and valued. Research shows that intentional opportunities for connection help all children, including neurodiverse students, build friendships while developing socially and academically (Biggs et al., 2023, 2025; McFadden et al., 2014).

Conversations around autism and neurodiversity continue to take place among researchers, practitioners, family members and the broader community. With this comes increased interest in having information that is thoughtful, accurate, and grounded in research. Over the years, we have highlighted different aspects of autism, and in this blog post we share resources and recommendations from leading scholars.

Military-connected teens grow up with remarkable strengths, including resilience, adaptability, and a strong sense of purpose. At the same time, the unique challenges they face, such as frequent relocations, deployment cycles, and concerns for a parent’s safety, may increase the likelihood of turning to substances.

Military-connected youth face unique challenges that can hinder their growth—but with the right support, they can thrive. Through a powerful partnership between 4-H and the Department of Defense, these young people are gaining consistent, research-based opportunities to build resilience, develop leadership skills, and shape their futures with confidence—no matter where military life takes them.

One important aspect of financial readiness is being prepared for the unexpected, and that includes natural disasters. With frequent relocations to diverse locations both within the continental United States (CONUS) and outside the continental United States (OCONUS), military families make homes in a variety of locales, each with potential for severe weather and natural disasters.

Malnutrition is a global public health crisis affecting millions of people, impacting not only physical health but also mental well-being. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), approximately 828 million people were undernourished in 2021, a number that has grown due to rising food and economic crises (FAO, 2022), one of which is food insecurity.