Document Tag: food insecurity

Food security change in the college student population due to the COVID-19 pandemic: A decline for many, an improvement for a few (2024)

The COVID-19 pandemic killed over one million people in the United States and the disease itself, combined with policies implemented to minimize its spread, dramatically increased both unemployment and food insecurity
throughout the nation. College students, who have high rates of food insecurity during non-pandemic times, were heavily impacted by the pandemic as campus closures caused large changes in living conditions and business closures led to loss of work for many. This study quantified changes in the food insecurity rate, changes in food security status, and associates of these changes for college students at the University of Santa Barbara, CA using data from a survey conducted in the Spring of 2021 (N = 785). Descriptive statistics and a multinomial logistic regression model were used to analyze data and the results suggest that the food insecurity rate increased by about 50% during the pandemic and that food security status changed for about 25% of students. Of students whose statuses changed, one-fifth experienced an improvement in food security status while about four-fifths experienced a decline. Students who lost a job were more likely to experience a decline in food security status while students who moved in with their parents, especially for longer periods of time, were more likely to
experience an increase in food security status. During future pandemics, policy should account for a large increase in college student food insecurity and future research should determine which students move home and
why.

Food Insecurity in College Students: The Role of Environment, Social Networks, and Perceived Food-Related Time, Stress, and Skill (2024)

Using a mixed-methods approach, the purpose of this study was to identify contributing factors and their relationship to food insecurity at a midsize, private university. During semistructured interviews (N = 23), students discussed social and environmental factors related to food insecurity, as well as the individual factors of food-related time, stress, and skill. A short questionnaire measuring the individual factors was developed and implemented with the US Department of Agriculture food security survey (N = 270). Between the food secure and insecure groups, there were significant differences in relation to food-related time, stress, and skill (P < .01). Identifying specific factors can inform campus-specific interventions to address food insecurity.

Persistent and Changing Food Insecurity Among Students at a Midwestern University is Associated With Behavioral and Mental Health Outcomes (2023)

Purpose
To assess associations between persistent and changing food insecurity and behavioral and mental health outcomes in college students.
Design
Online surveys conducted November 2018 and March 2019 (freshman year), and March 2020 (sophomore year) were used to assess food insecurity, which was then used to create 4 food security transitions: persistent food insecurity, emergent food insecurity, emergent food security, and persistent food security.
Setting
Large Midwestern university.
Sample
593 students completing all 3 surveys.
Measures
Dietary intake and behavioral and mental health outcomes (eating disorders, anxiety, depression, sleep quality) were assessed using validated instruments.
Analysis
Associations between food security transitions and dietary intake, behavioral, and mental health outcomes were examined using generalized linear models.
Results
Compared to persistent food security, emergent and persistent food insecurity was associated with lower (7% and 13% respectively) intake of fruits and vegetables combined; persistent food insecurity was associated with 17% lower intake of fruits, 6% lower intake of fiber and 10% higher intake of added sugar from beverages. Compared to persistent food secure students, eating disorder symptom risk was higher for emergent food insecure (OR = 7.61, 95% CI: 3.32, 17.48), and persistent food insecure (OR = 6.60, 95% CI: 2.60, 16.72) students; emergent (OR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.71) and persistent (OR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.34, 4.87) food insecure students had higher odds of poor sleep quality, and persistent food insecure, emergent food insecure, and emergent food secure students had higher odds of anxiety and depression (OR range 2.35-2.85).
Conclusion
Food security transitions were associated with aspects of low diet quality and poorer behavioral and mental health outcomes among college students.

SNAP Student Rules Are Not So Snappy: Lessons Learned From A Qualitative Study of California County Agency Workers (2024)

Objective
To examine the college student Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) application process from the perspective of county agency workers.

Design
A qualitative study that included semi-structured individual and group interviews (n = 14) between February and December, 2021.

Setting
Nine California counties with a University of California campus.

Participants
A total of 24 county agency workers who regularly process or advise on college student SNAP applications.

Phenomenon of Interest
Facilitators and barriers to processing student SNAP applications.

Analysis
Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using thematic analysis.

Results
Five themes were identified regarding student applications: (1) a need for more consistency in policy dissemination and program administration, (2) student exemptions and the application process are perceived as challenging for students, (3) facilitators of successfully processing student applications, (4) tracking policy changes is burdensome, and (5) eliminate the student rules.

Conclusion and Implications
County agency workers perceived that students experience unnecessary barriers to accessing SNAP benefits and that implementing the student rules was taxing. Expanding SNAP access to low-income college students could be an equitable solution to mitigate the risk of student hunger while they pursue their degrees.

Policies and Initiatives to Address Collegiate Food Insecurity (2023)

This review analyzes the modern anthropological impact of food insecurity on collegiate and community socioeconomic mobility. We begin with an overview of food insecurity from a global perspective, followed by a deeper dive of food insecurity within the higher education microcosm. We then explore policy, technology, and actions to address these challenges to promote a more just, equitable, and healthier world.

Recognizing and Responding to Poverty in College Students: What can Nurses do?

People may not consider college students when they think about populations who experience poverty. However, rising costs of college and changes in student demographics have contributed to poverty within this group. Many students experience poverty and subsequent basic needs insecurity; they may lack safe housing and the ability to access adequate amounts of nutritious food. Poverty has significant mental, physical, and academic implications for these college students. Recognizing that education is a social determinant of health, it is clear that nurses can address this issue. This article provides an overview of poverty in the context of college student concerns, including actions to promote students’ well-being and academic success. We describe current interventions to support students as well as the stigma that often accompanies poverty and may prohibit a student from asking for help. The authors present information for nurses in various roles on college campuses, such as educator and advocate; advanced practice program faculty; and student healthcare provider. An exemplar describes how faculty at one school of nursing have responded to student poverty concerns. Finally, we suggest recommendations to begin or enhance current efforts to address poverty in college students.

The Numbers Speak for Themselves: Using FAFSA Data to Secure Today’s Students’ Basic Needs (2024)

Postsecondary credentials are a good investment for individuals, families, and communities. Yet college is more expensive than ever and financial aid has not kept pace. And, as college costs continue to grow, students still need to meet their basic needs, such as food, housing, and child care. Ensuring students’ needs are met is critical to postsecondary success. Basic needs insecurity adversely affects students’ well-being, as well as their college persistence and completion. Research shows that food and housing insecurity are contributing factors to lower graduation rates.1 Higher education funding alone is not enough to meet those needs.
Today’s Pell Grant maximum award remains at a level similar to Fiscal Year (FY) 1978, after adjusting for inflation. In 2022-23, the maximum Pell Grant covered 63% of average published in-state tuition and fees and 30%
of average tuition, fees, room, and board at public four-year colleges and universities,2 while it covered more than three-quarters of those costs in 1975. States have also disinvested in higher education, all while federal student loan limits haven’t increased since 2008.
One solution is to ensure students access all available financial support, including means tested public benefits such as SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), subsidized health insurance, broadband assistance, and tax credits. Millions of college students are eligible for such benefits, however, they are unaware of their eligibility or do not know how to apply. For instance, roughly 2 million students who are eligible for SNAP do not participate, leaving around $3 billion in benefits on the table.4 The combination of need-based financial aid and enrollment in means-tested programs could help increase student graduation rates for students with low incomes who may be juggling a mix of work, school, and family responsibilities.

Populationwide Longevity and Food Insecurity (2024)

In this issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, we feature 2 articles that grapple with the important issues of life expectancy and longevity, particularly in vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.1,2 Although both articles come at the problem from different directions, their findings substantiate the need for broad policy solutions.