Abstract
The study objective was to determine prevalence of food insecurity and its associations with socioecological model (SEM) characteristics for undergraduate and graduate students. An online questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of students aged 18–34 at a Midwestern university. Of the 938 responses, 675 were complete for analysis. Outcome measures included demographics, food security level, housing, food access barriers, coping strategies, and food assistance program usage. Results found that predictors associated with undergraduate food insecurity included non-White race, receipt of financial aid, lower self-reported health status, living off-campus, employment, and food cost (p < 0.001). Graduate student food insecurity was associated with Asian self-identification, employment, food cost, no time to prepare foods, and lack of foods for dietary needs (p < 0.001). Students with food insecurity were more likely to buy cheap food (p < 0.001). Almost 50% of food-insecure undergraduates asked friends or family to help buy food. Food-insecure students were more likely to want information on meal preparation and budgeting. More graduate students were likely to know of and use food pantries. Overall, food insecurity was higher among undergraduate than graduate students. Universities should consider institutional and policy changes tailored to the separate populations to mitigate the prevalence of campus food insecurity.
Highlights
The high prevalence of food insecurity among college students has received increasing attention in the past decade
This study aims to develop separate predictive models of food insecurity status for undergraduate and graduate college student populations that account for multiple factors and their interactions and will support the future design of interventions and messaging that will be effective in reducing the problem
This research builds on evidence showing the widespread presence of food insecurity among the college student population, with approximately one-third of respondents designated as experiencing either low or very low food security
Summary
The high prevalence of food insecurity among college students has received increasing attention in the past decade. Identifying the factors affecting food insecurity is necessary to ameliorate the condition through improved aid policies and other forms of assistance. This is essential to ensuring the health and academic success of college students. Such identification of factors related to food insecurity need to account for differences between major subgroups of students. Studies indicate that, due to differences in living and social situations, cooking expertise, and finances, predictors of food insecurity may vary between undergraduate and graduate students [2,3,4]. This study aims to develop separate predictive models of food insecurity status for undergraduate and graduate college student populations that account for multiple factors and their interactions and will support the future design of interventions and messaging that will be effective in reducing the problem
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