Factors Related to the High Rates of Food Insecurity among Diverse, Urban College Freshmen

Abstract

Objective To examine the prevalence of food insecurity and associations with health outcomes among college freshmen. Methods A diverse sample of freshmen (n=209) attending a large southwestern university and living in campus residence halls completed online surveys; anthropometrics were measured by trained staff. Using mixed logistic regression, associations were examined between food insecurity and health outcomes, adjusting for sociodemographics and clustering of students within residence halls. Results Food insecurity was prevalent, with 32% reporting inconsistent access to food in the past month and 37% in the past three months. Food insecure freshmen had higher odds of depression (OR=2.97; 95% CI=1.58, 5.60) compared to food secure students. Food insecure freshmen had significantly lower odds of eating breakfast, consuming home-cooked meals, perceiving their off-campus eating habits to be healthy, and receiving food from parents, (p<0.05). Conclusions Interventions are needed to support students struggling with food insecurity, as it is related to health outcomes.

Homelessness and Housing Insecurity in Higher Education: A Trauma‐Informed Approach to Research, Policy, and Practice

“…Although housing insecurity likely correlates with many issues related to basic needs, the correlation with food insecurity has been the most well established by research (Bruening, Brennhofer, van Woerden, Todd, & Laska, ; Cady, ; Crutchfield, ; Freudenberg et al., ; Gaines, Robb, Knol, & Sickler, ; Hughes, Serebryanikova, Donaldson, & Leveritt, ; Patton‐Lopez, Lopez‐Cevallos, Cancel‐Tirado, Vazquez, ; Tsui et al., ; Wood et al., 2017). The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food security as “access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life” (n.p.).…”

No food for thought: Food insecurity is related to poor mental health and lower academic performance among students in California’s public university system

“…Department of Education) Several risk factors for food insecurity among college students have been identified. For example, Hispanic and black students are at increased risk compared to white students (Bruening et al, 2016;Freudenberg et al, 2011;Patton-Lopez et al, 2014;Maroto, 2013). Students from low-income backgrounds and with childhood history of food insecurity are at increased risk for food insecurity in college (Morris et al, 2016;Martinez et al, 2018).…”

Food insecurity negatively impacts academic performance

“…Food‐insecure students' health, which tends to be worse than their food‐secure counterparts, may also impact GPA. Food insecurity is associated with lower quality of diet and less healthy eating habits (Bhattacharya, Currie, & Haider, ; Bruening, Brennhofer, van Woerden, Todd, & Laska, ; Kirkpatrick & Tarasuk, ). This could impact academic outcomes as nourishment is associated with academic outcomes (Taras, ).…”

“…This could impact academic outcomes as nourishment is associated with academic outcomes (Taras, ). Additionally, food‐insecure university students are less likely to consume breakfast than their food‐secure counterparts (Bruening, Brenhoffer, et al, ; Bruening et al, ), and breakfast consumption is positively associated with academic performance (Rampersaud, Pereira, Girard, Adams, & Metzl, ). Food‐insecure students report higher levels of stress, depression, and anxiety than food‐secure students (Bruening, Brenhoffer, et al, 2016; Bruening et al, ; Payne‐Sturges et al, ), which are inversely associated with academic performance (Andrews & Wilding, ; Eisenberg, Golberstein, & Hunt, ; Payne‐Sturges et al, ; Stewart, Lam, Betson, Wong, & Wong, ; Struthers, Perry, & Menec, ).…”

“…Additionally, food-insecure university students are less likely to consume breakfast than their food-secure counterparts (Bruening, Brenhoffer, et al, 2016;Bruening et al, 2018), and breakfast consumption is positively associated with academic performance (Rampersaud, Pereira, Girard, Adams, & Metzl, 2005). Food-insecure students report higher levels of stress, depression, and anxiety than food-secure students (Bruening, Brenhoffer, et al, 2016;Bruening et al, 2018;Payne-Sturges et al, 2017), which are inversely associated with academic performance (Andrews & Wilding, 2004;Eisenberg, Golberstein, & Hunt, 2009;Payne-Sturges et al, 2017;Stewart, Lam, Betson, Wong, & Wong, 1999;Struthers, Perry, & Menec, 2000). Additionally, physical activity is positively associated with academic outcomes (Field, Miguel, & Sanders, 2001;Gibbison, Henry, & Perkins-Brown, 2011); food-insecure students are less likely to report their physical activity habits as healthy (Bruening et al, 2018).…”