Document Tag: pandemic

Parenting in a Pandemic: Understanding the Challenges Faced by California Community College Students and Actionable Recommendations for Policy (2024)

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges to students across the United States, particularly those
who are parents enrolled in community colleges. California’s community college system serves a diverse student
population, including a significant number of non-traditional, working adults who are also parents. These students
have faced unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic, including the difficulties of balancing childcare
responsibilities with academic and professional obligations. This paper summarizes the preliminary findings of a
study that intends to contribute to the crucial conversation around childcare needs among community college
students. The focus of this study was understanding the experiences of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
mothers with young children and the impact of COVID-19 on their educational experiences in community colleges
across the state of California.

Activating Family Safety Nets: Understanding Undergraduates’ Pandemic Housing Transitions (2024) [in press]

Safety nets are typically invisible until tested, and the COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to observe how undergraduates responded to the common challenge of campus closures. Using survey data from two public universities (N=750), we investigated the factors associated with students’ reports of moving to a parent’s home as a result of the pandemic. Our findings indicate that students’ material needs stemming from loss of housing (if on campus) or employment (if off campus) significantly affected, but did not fully explain, their housing decisions. Beyond these factors, older students and those living with a romantic partner, sibling, or extended family member were less likely to move in with a parent. These findings build on research documenting class-based differences by demonstrating the importance of life stage and other social ties. Moreover, they highlight how parent-child relationships evolve during the transition to adulthood, influencing decisions to seek support in times of crisis.

“The struggle bus is full.”: How College Faculty Interpreted and Navigated Institutional Policy Shifts Amid COVID-19 (2024)

Perhaps no other time in United States higher education’s history did institutional policies change as quickly as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, no studies have emerged from the pandemic era that address how faculty members navigated these changing policies, many of which were meant to increase safety and student success. This study examines weekly meetings of eight faculty teaching a course for students on academic or financial aid warning during spring 2021. In meetings, faculty reflected on institutional policies as it impacted safety and student success, and findings suggest policy intent was good, but the impact of the policies was not conducive to faculty mental health or student success. Additionally, many COVID-era policies conflicted with existing policies, especially financial aid, placing faculty in difficult situations as policy interpreters. Finally, many new policies had no precedent, therefore, faculty had no guidance on policy interpretation or implementation. Implications for research, policy, and practice are addressed.

Food Insecurity Among Community College Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2024)

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to examine variables associated with food insecurity among community college caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used data from a multi-institutional survey of 15,051 caregivers enrolled at 130 community colleges in 42 states in fall 2020. We used a logistic regression
to examine whether demographic, academic, caregiving-related, financial, or COVID19-related variables were associated with caregivers’ food insecurity. Results: Over half (52%) of community college caregivers experienced food insecurity. Transgender caregivers, first-generation caregivers, and caregivers who were divorced or single, had multiple disabilities, were previously in foster care, and had a family that experienced trouble making ends meet growing up had significantly (p<.05) higher probabilities of experiencing food insecurity. Community college caregivers who used childcare and those with at least one child up to 12years old also had increased probabilities of experiencing food insecurity. Moreover, caregivers who felt childcare was not affordable and believed that they did not earn enough money to make employment worthwhile after paying for childcare expenses had higher probabilities of experiencing food insecurity, as did those who experienced housing insecurity and used Pell grants, student loans, and support from friends or family to pay for college. Losing a job, experiencing cuts to work hours or wages, employment as a frontline worker, and contracting COVID were associated with higher probabilities of food insecurity. Contributions: Community college caregivers experienced high rates of food insecurity during the pandemic and some caregivers were at greater risk of exacerbated probabilities of food insecurity. We advocate for targeted interventions, wraparound services, and increased advocacy for legislation to support student caregivers.

Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Associations with Academic Performance, Food Consumption and Social Support among University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: FINESCOP Project in Iceland (2024)

(1) Background: Food insecurity (FI) among university students has received less attention in Europe than in other regions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2022 using an online questionnaire (n = 924). The questionnaire addressed food security status; demographic, socioeconomic, and
educational variables; academic performance; food consumption; and social support networks. The
validated Food Insecurity Experience Scale was used to measure food security. Binary logistic regressions adjusted by age and gender were applied to identify FI-related factors. (3) Results: Just over
17% of the students were living with some level of FI, nearly one in three students reported having
consumed few kinds of food, and 3.9% spent an entire day without eating due to a lack of resources.
Food insecurity was associated with a higher likelihood of negative academic performance, decreased
food consumption, and a lower likelihood of having a large support network, when compared to
food-secure respondents. (4) Conclusions: The findings suggest that FI negatively impacts students’
academic performance and food consumption. Future public health programs should be prioritized
to prevent students from experiencing hunger due to financial or resource constraints.

Characteristics associated with changes in food security status among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)

The prevalence of food insecurity in the USA has increased
since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, past
studies have not examined how the food security status of
college students has been impacted. The purpose of this study
was to examine changes in the prevalence of food insecurity;
determine the proportion of students experiencing a change
in food security status; and identify characteristics associated
with changes in food security status from before to during
the COVID-19 pandemic among a sample of college students.
We administered a cross-sectional online survey to students
from a large public university in the Southeastern USA. The
10-item U.S. Adult Food Security Module was used to assess
food security status during the spring 2020 semester both
before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and students
self-reported a variety of individual characteristics. The overall
prevalence of food insecurity increased by approximately
one-third during the spring 2020 semester from before
to during the COVID-19 pandemic. When examining the
types of changes in food security status experienced by
students, 12% improved, 68% stayed the same, and 20%
worsened. A variety of characteristics were associated with an
improvement or worsening of food security status category
from before to during the pandemic. Similar to what is seen in
other reports, we found that the overall proportion of college
students in our sample experiencing food insecurity increased
during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, some students
showed improvements in food security status. Approaches for
addressing food insecurity during and beyond the pandemic are
needed.

Understanding higher education students’ sense of belonging: a qualitative meta-ethnographic analysis (2023)

The current literature on ‘sense of belonging’ spans a number of disciplines, with no apparent consensus on definition between these, complicated by the fact that sense of belonging is temporal and context-sensitive (such as during COVID-19). In particular, a closer look at how students define sense of belonging is needed from an up-to-date perspective to help them feel more connected to the faculty/campus and improve their wellbeing and mental health in the ‘new normal’ and ‘next normal’ post-pandemic eras. Therefore, this study explores higher education students’ sense of belonging, a concept that has not been adequately conceptualised, from their perspectives. As these perspectives are subjective, an interpretive approach is required to generate rich meanings. This study has adopted a meta-ethnographic approach to synthesise qualitative studies, which allows for comparison and synthesis of studies into a new interpretation through translations. Interpretive qualitative synthesis resulted in one higher-order concept, four main concepts, and nineteen sub-concepts that conceptualise higher education students’ understanding of sense of belonging to their universities.

Institutional Initiatives Addressing Student Food Insecurity: A Qualitative Study Exploring Lived Experiences of Higher Education Professionals (2024)

This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of higher education administrators involved in addressing food insecurity on campuses in the U.S. through the COVID-19 pandemic. As more higher education institutions begin to develop food insecurity and basic needs initiatives to enhance student success and persistence, sharing the perspectives of administrators overseeing programs provides a more holistic view of campus initiatives. Implications and recommendations for higher education practice and research are discussed.

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 within a Public University and the Role of Food Assistance Programs Amid the Global Pandemic (2024)

Food insecurity (FI) is a pressing concern among university students in the United States, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this issue. Providing food assistance for university students has become more challenging due to pandemic-related consequences and interventions. This study aims to (1) analyze social inequalities in FI among university students in a large public university during the pandemic, (2) investigate the association of their utilization of campus, community, and federal food assistance programs (FAPs) and FI, and (3) understand the barriers students face in accessing FAPs. Survey questionnaires were distributed to students to gather their socio-demographics, FI, and usage of FAPs. Logistic regression was utilized to assess the relationship between students’ FI and their use of FAPs. Among the surveyed students (n = 282), 33.7% reported experiencing FI. Higher FI rates were observed among socially vulnerable student groups, for example, non-Hispanic Black (62.5%) and Hispanic students (38.7%), compared with non-Hispanic White students (32.1%). FAPs had a limited influence on students’ FI due to low utilization. The primary barriers to FAPs were insufficient information, ineligibility, and social stigma. The findings suggest it is crucial to reduce barriers to using FAPs and develop targeted interventions for marginalized students to address inequalities in FI.