Research on the relationship between dietary patterns and well-being has expanded rapidly in recent years. This study contributes to previous work by examining how diet relates to well-being among rural middle school students in North Carolina, with an average age of 12. Two indicators are used to measure youth well-being at an individual level: self-reported academic performance and perceived stress levels. Students’ diets are categorized as healthy, unhealthy, or neutral, and we construct a health index to capture differences across these dietary patterns.Our analysis draws on cross-sectional data from the Motivating Adolescents with Technology to Choose Health (MATCH) program, a school-based wellness initiative implemented during the 2022–2023 academic year in rural North Carolina. Using a mixed-effects model, we assess the association between diet and well-being in this rural adolescent population.Finally, we explore whether participation in MATCH moderates the effects of dietary patterns. Although findings suggest that school-based wellness programs may help buffer the negative influence of a poor diet, the moderating effect is not statistically significant, providing insights for policies that promote adolescent well-being and academic success.
