Are estimates of food insecurity among college students accurate? Comparison of assessment protocols

Abstract

A growing body of literature suggests that post-secondary students experience food insecurity (FI) at greater rates than the general population. However, these rates vary dramatically across institutions and studies. FI assessment methods commonly used in studies with college students have not been scrutinized for psychometric properties, and varying protocols may influence resulting FI prevalence estimates. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of standard food security assessment protocols and to evaluate their agreement as well as the relative accuracy of these protocols in identifying student FI. A randomized sample of 4,000 undergraduate students were invited to participate in an online survey (Qualtrics, LLC, Provo, Utah, USA) that evaluated sociodemographic characteristics and FI with the 2-item food sufficiency screener and the 10-item USDA Adult Food Security Survey Module (FSSM; containing the abbreviated 6-item module). Four hundred sixty-two eligible responses were included in the final sample. The psychometric analysis revealed inconsistencies in college student response patterns on the FSSM when compared to national evaluations. Agreement between FI protocols was generally high (>90%) but was lessened when compared with a protocol that incorporated the 2-item screener. The 10-item FSSM with the 2-item screener had the best model fit (McFadden’s R 2 = 0.15 and Bayesian Information Criterion = -2049.72) and emerged as the tool providing the greatest relative accuracy for identifying students with FI. Though the 10-item FSSM and 2-item screener yields the most accuracy in this sample, it is unknown why students respond to FSSM items differently than the general population. Further qualitative and quantitative evaluations are needed to determine which assessment protocol is the most valid and reliable for use in accurately identifying FI in post-secondary students across the U.S.

Prevalence and Social Determinants of Food Insecurity among College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Food security in the last 30 days was assessed using the validated 2-item Food Sufficiency Screener [44] and 6-item USDA Food Security Survey Module (FSSM) [45]. Although the 6-item USDA FSSM has been used extensively by itself to assess food security in college students, this device is validated for use in the US households, and the validity of this instrument within college students is still unclear [26,46]. In a recent study among college students, the use of this multistep food security assessment approach produced estimates of food insecurity that were more consistent with known incomes compared to the 6-item USDA FSSM alone [26].…”

“…Although the 6-item USDA FSSM has been used extensively by itself to assess food security in college students, this device is validated for use in the US households, and the validity of this instrument within college students is still unclear [26,46]. In a recent study among college students, the use of this multistep food security assessment approach produced estimates of food insecurity that were more consistent with known incomes compared to the 6-item USDA FSSM alone [26]. Furthermore, estimates of food insecurity among college students were almost 2-fold lower when assessed with the multistep food security assessment approach vs. the 6-item USDA FSSM alone [26].…”

Can Internet Surveys Mimic Food Insecurity Rates Published by the US Government?

“…In both the CPS‐FSS survey and most others, the reverse is true. However, a recent internet survey also found higher rates among the very low food security group (Nikolaus, Ellison, and Nickols‐Richardson ).…”

Addressing College Food Insecurity: An Assessment of Federal Legislation Before and During Coronavirus Disease-2019

“…This issue needs consideration given recent research suggesting standard USDA food insecurity measures may not perform well in college populations. 39 Despite this potential limitation, the National Center for Education Statistics has recently announced their intention to collect surveillance data on college food insecurity in the coming years. 40 The authors here also assert that to inform policy efforts effectively, other pressing research needs include (1) rigorous longitudinal cohort studies quantifying short-and long-term consequences of food insecurity, including those related to health, academic, and economic outcomes, and, perhaps more importantly, (2) rigorous evaluation of natural experiments and controlled intervention trials to identify approaches that are both viable and effective in lessening the burden of food insecurity on students.…”