College student food insecurity and its relationship to fruit and vegetable intake and overweight/obesity at a HBCU

Abstract

Background: Food insecurity has been a very prominent, but understudied topic among U.S. colleges. African-American college students have been shown to be the group most impacted by food insecurity. There has been some evidence of association between food insecurity and low fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as with increased fast food consumption and overweight/obesity. Methods: A convenience sample of 10,300 students attending a historically black college /university (HBCU) were invited to complete an online survey with questions that measured food security using the United States Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Survey Module (USDA-AFSSM), body mass index (BMI), the frequency of fruit and vegetable intake, and fast food purchases. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the relationships between the variables and the food security status of the participants at 5% significant. Results: The students who experienced some level of food insecurity were found to have lower consumption of fruits and vegetables and on a weekly basis were more likely to purchase fast food meals compared to food secure students. There was no significant difference in the BMIs of food secure vs food insecure student. Conclusion/ recommendations: The present study showed that food insecure students were significantly more likely to purchase fast foods compared with food secure students. Further research is needed to attain a more comprehensive understanding of the depth of prevalence of food insecurity among students attending HBCUs and its effect on food choices and obesity risk.