Document Category: Research Study

Food and Housing Insecurity Among Adult Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2023)

The purpose of this study was to examine the variables associated with adult undergraduates’ food and housing insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were derived from the 2020 #RealCollege Survey, which was completed by 25,838 adult undergraduates (≥25 years old) at 72 4-year and 127 2-year institutions in 42 U.S. states. The results suggest that 43.2% of adult undergraduates experienced food insecurity, and 60.6% experienced housing insecurity. Adult undergraduates who had multiple disabilities, grew up in lower-income families, had previously lived in foster care, attended 2-year colleges, and did not live with a spouse/partner had significantly higher probabilities of experiencing food or housing insecurity. Furthermore, first-generation students, international students, or caregivers, parents, or guardians to children had significantly higher probabilities of experiencing food and housing insecurity. Finally, adult undergraduates who experienced COVID-19 pandemic-related academic and financial and health difficulties also had higher probabilities of experiencing food and housing insecurity.

Food Insecurity Among College Students: An Analysis of US State Legislation Through 2020 (2021)

Many US college students experience food insecurity (FI). Given most students are excluded from receiving federal nutrition assistance, additional efforts are needed to alleviate student FI. This perspective discusses proposed and enacted state statutes, resolutions, and bills addressing college FI to date, which range in depth, breadth, and success. Overall, states have demonstrated their promising role in addressing FI; however, college FI promises to be a continuing challenge, particularly given continued widespread unemployment that began with the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 and the global struggle for economic recovery

The Struggle Is Real: A Systematic Review of Food Insecurity on Postsecondary Education Campuses (2017)

Seventeen peer-reviewed studies and 41 sources of gray literature were identified (out of 11,476 titles). All studies were cross-sectional. Rates of FI were high among students, with average rates across the gray and peer-reviewed literature of 35% and 42%, respectively. FI was consistently associated with financial independence, poor health, and adverse academic outcomes. Suggested solutions to address food security among postsecondary institutions addressed all areas of the socioecologic model, but the solutions most practiced included those in the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional levels.

FI is a major public health problem among postsecondary education students. Studies are needed to assess the long-term influence of FI among this vulnerable population. More research is needed on the effectiveness of FI interventions.

Basic Needs Insecurity Among First-Generation Community College Students With Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2023)

The purpose of this study was to examine whether first-generation students with disabilities at community colleges experience different rates in food and housing insecurity compared to their peers during the COVID-19 pandemic. First-generation students with multiple disabilities, a psychological disorder, another disability or medical condition not offered in the survey, and chronic illness had increased odds of experiencing food and housing insecurity; first-generation students with physical disabilities and cognitive, learning, or neurological disorders or disabilities had increased odds of experiencing food insecurity; and continuing-generation students with multiple disabilities also had increased odds of experiencing food and housing insecurity.

Connecting Students to Basic Needs Hubs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Evaluation of a Cross-Sectoral Partnership (2023)

Reducing basic needs insecurity among community college students is an equity imperative for improving college attainment, particularly given the challenges the pandemic introduced. One popular approach is co-locating campus support services to help students access support (beyond financial aid), including public benefits and emergency aid. Some institutions operate their own basic needs hubs, while others engage outside providers. This study evaluates a campus-based cross-sectoral approach at two community colleges in King County, Washington. Together, the United Way of King County and area colleges and universities operate “Benefits Hubs” for students, offering support from peer navigators and helping them access financial resources and information. However, many students experiencing basic needs insecurity do not use hubs—a problem shared by many other student support services. Is it possible to increase students’ use of hubs through low-cost outreach? Does that outreach also improve students’ academic outcomes? Evaluators examined these questions during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when students’ needs for support were especially high, and staff were particularly constrained. The colleges collectively identified a group of approximately 3,000 low-income students who might be eligible for public benefits and thus find the Benefits Hubs’ support useful. Those students were divided at random into two groups. Beginning in fall 2020, staff sent the first group emails encouraging them to use hubs. The second group did not receive that outreach but still had access to hubs. A comparison of the two groups following that outreach revealed whether sending those emails—a strategy widely known as “nudging”—those students improved their use of hubs and/or their odds of academic success in terms of grades and retention. The results are mixed and largely inconclusive. On the one hand, outreach modestly increased students’ use of Benefits Hubs. It also reached students in several target demographic groups—older students and those from marginalized communities who are at heightened risk of basic needs insecurity. This suggests that informational barriers contribute to basic needs insecurity and may be partially overcome with inexpensive outreach strategies. However, the benefits of outreach dissipated over time, potentially because the targeted students shared information with their peers who did not receive the emails, and then those students also used hubs. Even with the additional outreach efforts, most targeted students did not use hubs and academic improvements were not evidenced. As community colleges continue to recover from the pandemic and support students to graduation, providing basic needs supports to help students afford college may help. There are several reasons why this evaluation might understate the benefits, including analytic limitations and how the pandemic affected the program. Recent legislation and philanthropy are funding many basic needs hubs, making it especially important to engage in ongoing assessment to develop strategies for strengthening their use and ensuring maximum equitable impact.

Front Porch? What About No Porch? Exploring Housing Insecurity Among NCAA College Athletes During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2023)

This study explored housing insecurity among NCAA college athletes during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, 1,130 college athletes completed the #RealCollege Survey, a national survey examining housing and food insecurity among college students. Housing insecurity is a growing issue among general college students and the findings suggest it is also a potential issue for college athletes, particularly males, college athletes of color, and first-generation college students. Descriptive statistics examined how housing insecurity and housing insecure symptoms appeared among NCAA college athletes, Chi-squares test of independence explored the relationship between student characteristics (e.g., race, sex) and housing insecurity. Additionally, binary logistic regression models understand how COVID-19 impacted those relationships. These exploratory findings encourage more research on college athlete experiences with housing insecurity to understand better the impact housing insecurity has on college athletes.