Exploring the relationship between food insecurity with hunger and academic progression at a large South African University

Wagner, Fezile; Kaneli, T.

doi:10.20853/35-5-4099

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Academic performance progress codes assigned to each student at the end of the academic year were dichoto-mized as (i) those meeting the requirements to proceed to the second academic year of study (successful progression) and (ii) those who did not meet the academic requirements to proceed to the second year of study (progression delay). This definition has been previously used to define academic success (here defined as 'successful progression') and academic failure (here defined as 'progression delay') in similar work in South Africa [3,28].…”

Section: Instrumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between depression symptoms and academic performance among first-year undergraduate students at a South African university: a cross-sectional study

Wagner

Kolanisi

et al. 2022

BMC Public Health

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Background: South African universities face a challenge of low throughput rates, with most students failing to complete their studies within the minimum regulatory time. Literature has begun to investigate the contribution of well-being, including mental health, with depression among students being one of the most common mental disorders explored. However, locally relevant research exploring associations between depression and academic performance has been limited. This research hypothesizes that the presence of depression symptoms, when controlling for key socio-demographic factors, has an adverse impact on student academic outcomes and contributes to the delay in the academic progression of students. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design. Data were collected in 2019 from first-time, first-year undergraduate students using a self-administered online questionnaire. In total, 1,642 students completed the survey. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to screen for depression symptoms. Data on students’ academic performance were obtained from institutional records. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to examine associations between depression symptoms and academic performance. Results: Most participants (76%) successfully progressed (meeting the requirements to proceed to the second year of university study). Of the participants, 10% displayed symptoms of severe depression. The likelihood of progression delay (not meeting the academic requirements to proceed to the second year of university study) increased with the severity of depression symptoms. Moderate depression symptoms nearly doubled the adjusted odds of progression delay (aOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.30-3.00, p = 0.001). The likelihood of progression delay was nearly tripled by moderate severe depression symptoms (aOR = 2.70, 95% CI:1.70–4.36, p < 0.001) and severe depression symptoms (aOR = 2.59, 95% CI:1.54–4.36, p < 0.001). The model controlled for field of study, financial aid support as well as sex and race. Conclusion: Higher levels of depression symptoms among first-year university students are associated with a greater likelihood of progression delay and may contribute to the low throughput rates currently seen in South African universities. It is important for students, universities and government departments to recognize student mental wellness needs and how these can be met.

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Section: Instrumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between depression symptoms and academic performance among first-year undergraduate students at a South African university: a cross-sectional study

Wagner

Kolanisi

et al. 2022

BMC Public Health

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“…The HFIAS has been used extensively by various studies addressing the issue of food insecurity. Despite its original design for use in household contexts, some studies have been able to adapt and modify it to assess food insecurity at individual level such as among university students [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 28 , 29 ]. Munro et al [ 6 ] employed the HFIAS to assess students’ vulnerability and experiences of food insecurity at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The HFIAS was used to assess food insecurity and related coping strategies among university students at Texas Tech [ 29 ]. Wagner et al’s [ 28 ] study of the relationship between food insecurity and student academic progression among students at a South African university used the Household Food Insecurity Scale (HFIAS) to measure the prevalence of food insecurity as well as to link this data to academic outcomes.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis of the Prevalence and Factors Influencing Food Insecurity among University Students Participating in Alcohol Consumption in KwaZulu-Natal Province

Jilajila

Ngidi

Hlatshwayo

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Food insecurity among the student population is a prominent issue in South African university institutions. However, personal experiences and the myriad of underlying factors contributing to the issue remain poorly documented. Among other factors, these universities are characterized by the admission of a majority of their student population from poor backgrounds with limited financial capabilities, and this affects their food security status. The purpose of this study was to view the patterns of food insecurity among students, with a focus on alcohol consumption as one of the various factors influencing student food security status. Data were collected from 156 student respondents from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology, and the University of Zululand. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale revealed that from the total sample, only 21.79% reported themselves as food secure, whilst the remainder reported varying levels of food insecurity with 17.31% of students being food insecure, 16.03% mildly food insecure, and 44.87% severely food insecure. On the other hand, a prevalence of 73.08% (n = 114) of alcohol consumption was found among the sampled students. Ordered probit models results suggested that students’ alcohol consumption prevalence was determined by gender, level of study, exercise/playing sport, marital status, and distance to campus, which all had statistically significant effects on students’ alcohol consumption. Most crucially, gender, institution and campus positively affected students’ food security status, while the income variable made a negative significant contribution towards student food security status. Therefore, a link between students’ finances and food insecurity was evident. However, further research is required to delve into the link between the level and impact of students’ alcohol consumption and its implications on their financial status, and thus food security status. This is crucial information which will help policymakers understand these underlying factors and experiences and thus find solutions for issues related with food insecurity.

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“…We further categorised the data as food secure, mildly food insecure, moderately food insecure or severely food insecure following the guidelines published by Coates et al (2007). This scale has been used in several countries with a wide range of populations including university/college students (Abu et al, 2023;Abu & Oldewage-Theron, 2019;Celik et al, 2023;Rizk et al, 2023;Theodoridis et al, 2018;Wagner et al, 2021), as this tool can distinguish household food security status across different cultural contexts. Furthermore, in the current study, the HFIAS showed strong internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.805 in the sample.…”

Section: Household Food Insecuritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the prevalence and potential drivers of food insecurity and the relationship with mental wellbeing in UK university students: A cross‐sectional study

Aldubaybi,

Coneyworth,

Jethwa

2024

Nutrition Bulletin

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Food insecurity (FI) among university students in the United States has been associated with poor mental wellbeing, but very little is known about the relationship between FI and mental wellbeing in the UK university population. Here we examined the prevalence of FI, determined potential drivers for it and its relationship with mental wellbeing and coping ability. Students studying at UK universities (n = 289) completed an online self‐reported questionnaire to obtain socio‐economic characteristics including financial status, FI status (Household Food Insecurity Access scale), mental wellbeing (Warwick‐Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale) and coping ability (coping flexibility scale). FI was observed in 28% of the participants and was associated with financial independence, running out of money, borrowing money and lacking confidence to purchase healthy foods (p < 0.05). Although we cannot determine directionality, logistic regression analysis revealed those who were judged as FI were more likely to shop often (OR = 3.139 95% CI 1.533–6.429), never snacked between meals (OR = 4.261 95% CI 1.309–13.875) and the amount of food purchased was affected by perceptions of the price of food in general (OR = 2.954 95% CI 1.675–5.210). Financial instability and the inability to access nutritious food may contribute to the decrease in mental wellbeing (p < 0.01) and lower ability to cope with stressful situations (p < 0.01) in food‐insecure students although the direction of these relationships cannot be determined from this cross‐sectional study. This study has identified that there is a need to develop appropriate strategies to combat FI in university students and to improve mental health.

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Exploring the relationship between food insecurity with hunger and academic progression at a large South African University

Cited by 9 publications

References 13 publications

The relationship between depression symptoms and academic performance among first-year undergraduate students at a South African university: a cross-sectional study

The relationship between depression symptoms and academic performance among first-year undergraduate students at a South African university: a cross-sectional study

An Analysis of the Prevalence and Factors Influencing Food Insecurity among University Students Participating in Alcohol Consumption in KwaZulu-Natal Province

Assessing the prevalence and potential drivers of food insecurity and the relationship with mental wellbeing in UK university students: A cross‐sectional study

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