P137 Food Insecure Students Identify Price as the Most Important Determinant of Their Food Choices

Abstract

Background Food insecurity is a growing concern among US higher education institutions. Research is needed to understand the impact of food insecurity on food choice priorities when designing interventions for college students. Objective To examine the factors that influence decisions about food between food secure (FS) and food insecure (FI) college students. Study Design, Settings, Participants Cross-sectional study among first year students from eight US universities (N = 857). Measurable Outcome/Analysis Food choice priorities (14-item Likert scale survey and priority factor rankings) and food security status (USDA Adult Food Security Module). Independent samples t-tests comparing food choice priorities by student food security status. Results Food insecurity was prevalent with 19% (n = 163) of students reporting inconsistent access to food in the past year. Compared to FS students, FI students rated price, perceived stress, and the ability to feel full as being significantly more important when making food decisions (P Conclusion Findings suggest that FI students are making decisions about food differently than FS students and that price is the most important determinant. Initiatives to address FI should consider and assess how the intervention impacts students’ decisions about food. Funding None.