Evaluation of Food Insecurity in Students Attending a University in the Southern Region of the United States PDF Download

Author: Jaqlene Villalpando
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 61

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Book Description
Food insecurity plagues college students and is associated with negative health and academic outcomes. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of food insecurity, its determinants, and food intake outcomes associated with students found to have low food security. A cross-sectional study design utilizing an online questionnaire covering socio-demographic, food security, coping strategy, and money expenditure items were administered to Mississippi university students (n=595) via email. Descriptive, correlation, and chi-square analyses determined how student characteristics were associated with food security. A total of 246 (41.3%) students were food insecure. Significant variables associated with food insecurity were African American or other minority, low GPA, use of public transportation, do not own a car, fair or poor perceived health status, higher money expenditure scores, and lower coping strategy scores. Additional research and institutional strategies are needed to close the gap of food insecurity among this population.

Author: Katharine M. Broton
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN: 1421437724
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Crutchfield, James Dubick, Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, Sara Goldrick-Rab, Jordan Herrera, Nicole Hindes, Russell Lowery-Hart, Jennifer J. Maguire, Michael Rosen, Sabrina Sanders, Rachel Sumekh

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309180368
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
The United States is viewed by the world as a country with plenty of food, yet not all households in America are food secure, meaning access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. A proportion of the population experiences food insecurity at some time in a given year because of food deprivation and lack of access to food due to economic resource constraints. Still, food insecurity in the United States is not of the same intensity as in some developing countries. Since 1995 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has annually published statistics on the extent of food insecurity and food insecurity with hunger in U.S. households. These estimates are based on a survey measure developed by the U.S. Food Security Measurement Project, an ongoing collaboration among federal agencies, academic researchers, and private organizations. USDA requested the Committee on National Statistics of the National Academies to convene a panel of experts to undertake a two-year study in two phases to review at this 10-year mark the concepts and methodology for measuring food insecurity and hunger and the uses of the measure. In Phase 2 of the study the panel was to consider in more depth the issues raised in Phase 1 relating to the concepts and methods used to measure food security and make recommendations as appropriate. The Committee on National Statistics appointed a panel of 10 experts to examine the above issues. In order to provide timely guidance to USDA, the panel issued an interim Phase 1 report, Measuring Food Insecurity and Hunger: Phase 1 Report. That report presented the panel's preliminary assessments of the food security concepts and definitions; the appropriateness of identifying hunger as a severe range of food insecurity in such a survey-based measurement method; questions for measuring these concepts; and the appropriateness of a household survey for regularly monitoring food security in the U.S. population. It provided interim guidance for the continued production of the food security estimates. This final report primarily focuses on the Phase 2 charge. The major findings and conclusions based on the panel's review and deliberations are summarized.

Author: Lisa Henry
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030318184
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 131

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Book Description
This volume explores the experience of hunger and food insecurity among college students at a large, public university in north Texas. Ninety-two clients of the campus food pantry volunteered to share their experiences through qualitative interviews, allowing the author to develop seven profiles of food insecurity, while at once exploring the impact of childhood food insecurity and various coping strategies. Students highlighted the issues of stigma and shame; the unwillingness to discuss food insecurity with their peers; the physical consequences of hunger and poor nutrition; the associations between mental health and nutrition; the academic sacrifices and motivations to finish their degree in the light of food insecurity; and the potential for raising awareness on campus through university engagement. Henry concludes the book with a discussion of solutions—existing solutions to alleviate food insecurity, student-led suggestions for additional resources, solutions in place at other universities that serve as potential models for similar campuses—and efforts to change federal policy.

Author: Vanessa Martinez
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Food security
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description
Introduction: Food insecurity is a major issue in the United States (U.S) as it negatively affects the physical, mental, and social health of millions of people. Households with one or more of the following characteristics are at higher risk of suffering from food insecurity: low-income, ethnic minority, female, and single-parent. Most college students express one or more of these characteristics, yet very little research has examined the prevalence of food insecurity in college student populations. It is anticipated that low-income, minority college students are experiencing food insecurity at a higher rate than the national prevalence. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of food insecurity in college students attending a Hispanic-serving University in the southwest region of the U.S. Research Methods and Procedures: College students from a Hispanic-serving University participated in an online survey designed to examine dietary behaviors. Each participant was categorized as either food secure (high to marginal food security level) or food insecure (low to very low food security levels) based on their answers to the section of the survey that included the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module six-item short form. Prevalence of food insecurity was determined by tabulation and simple percentage calculations. Binary logistic regression was used to assess associations between food security status and age, gender, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, income, and education level. Results: A college student population (N=231; age=26.0 +/- 8.2 yr.; 68% female; 60% Hispanic; BMI= 26.02±5.48 kg/m2) at a Hispanic-serving University completed the survey. Fifty-five percent of the respondents (N=127) were categorized as food insecure. A positive association between age and food security status (P=0.02) was observed. Hispanic and Black respondents were more likely to be food insecure than White respondents (p=0.007 and p=0.03; respectively). A positive association between income and food security status (p=0.050) was observed. Discussion: College students are at high risk of food insecurity. Hispanic respondents, the ethnic majority of the university and subject population, were at higher risk of food insecurity compared to White respondents. Further research needs to examine the contributing factors associated with this disparity in food security status amongst low-income, college students.

Author: Katharine M. Broton
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421437732
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
The hidden problem of student hunger on college campuses is real. Here's how colleges and universities are addressing it. As the price of college continues to rise and the incomes of most Americans stagnate, too many college students are going hungry. According to researchers, approximately half of all undergraduates are food insecure. Food Insecurity on Campus—the first book to describe the problem—meets higher education's growing demand to tackle the pressing question "How can we end student hunger?" Essays by a diverse set of authors, each working to address food insecurity in higher education, describe unique approaches to the topic. They also offer insights into the most promising strategies to combat student hunger, including • utilizing research to raise awareness and enact change; • creating campus pantries, emergency aid programs, and meal voucher initiatives to meet immediate needs; • leveraging public benefits and nonprofit partnerships to provide additional resources; • changing higher education systems and college cultures to better serve students; and • drawing on student activism and administrative clout to influence federal, state, and local policies. Arguing that practice and policy are improved when informed by research, Food Insecurity on Campus combines the power of data with detailed storytelling to illustrate current conditions. A foreword by Sara Goldrick-Rab further contextualizes the problem. Offering concrete guidance to anyone seeking to understand and support college students experiencing food insecurity, the book encourages readers to draw from the lessons learned to create a comprehensive strategy to fight student hunger. Contributors: Talia Berday-Sacks, Denise Woods-Bevly, Katharine M. Broton, Clare L. Cady, Samuel Chu, Sarah Crawford, Cara Crowley, Rashida M. Crutchfield, James Dubick, Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, Sara Goldrick-Rab, Jordan Herrera, Nicole Hindes, Russell Lowery-Hart, Jennifer J. Maguire, Michael Rosen, Sabrina Sanders, Rachel Sumekh

Author: Rebecca L. Larson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College students
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
Author's abstract: Introduction: College students experience food insecurity (FI) at higher rates than the U.S. adult population. Food insecurity among college students is frequently associated with several sociodemographic factors; limited social support and coping skills; poor mental and physical health; and poor academic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of FI among students at Fort Valley State University (FVSU), a Historically Black College & University, factors associated with FI, the impact of FI on academic outcomes, and the influence of social support and coping skills on the relationship between FI and academic outcomes. Methods: A stratified random sample of students enrolled at FVSU completed an anonymous online survey, which assessed food security status and sociodemographic, social support, coping skills, and academic outcomes variables. Univariate logistic regression was computed to determine associations between participant characteristics and FI. Lasso regression analysis was computed to predict FI based on student characteristics. Linear regression analysis was computed to determine if FI predicted academic outcomes. Multiple regression analysis was computed to determine the influence of social support and coping skills on the relationship between FI and academic outcomes. Results: Among survey respondents, 47.3% were food insecure. Parental level of education was associated with FI, as was household income, campus meal plan, parental financial and food support, adequacy of money to buy food and food selection in stores, total food skills and resources score, and class attendance. The total coping skills score and several coping strategies were associated with FI, including sharing food responsibilities, stretching meals, using coupons, borrowing money to purchase food, etc. The two key predictors of FI were hours worked and the coping skills score. FI did not predict academic outcomes. Social support and coping skills did not influence the relationship between FI and academic outcomes. Discussion: Students at FVSU experienced a high rate of FI, higher than reported on several other U.S. campuses. Students use limited resources and social supports to alleviate FI; however they do utilize several coping strategies. Several universities are successfully implementing interventions which may be replicated across other U.S. campuses to alleviate FI.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309181933
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Author: Ruth Zegel Wooten
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College students
Languages : en
Pages : 85

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Book Description
Background: Food insecurity is defined as the inability to access adequate and nutritious food. There is a relatively small, but growing body of published research on the prevalence of food insecurity among college students, with most studies finding food insecurity prevalence to be higher on college campuses than in states in which studies were conducted. Two published studies at large, public universities in the Southeast found inconsistent rates of food insecurity, 14% and 46%. Objective: To assess rates of food insecurity among college students enrolled in campuses of a large public university system in one state in the Southeastern United States and identify factors that are associated with experiencing food insecurity. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. An online survey was administered to eligible, enrolled students (n=38,586), 5,593 responded (14% response rate). After applying exclusion criteria (freshman standing,

Author: Sweta Tiwari
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
Food insecurity is one of the biggest challenges facing American society today. Over 13.7 million US households were food insecure in the year 2019 and 19 million Americans lived in food deserts in the year 2015 (USDA, 2020, 2017). Despite food insecurities affecting communities in every corner of the country, there is a dearth of research on food security and food deserts. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are 1) to identify underlying neighborhood characteristics that predict the communities at higher nutritional risk, 2) to analyze the impacts of household characteristics on household food insecurity, and 3) to examine the combined influences of both household and neighborhood characteristics on household food insecurity. Through exploratory factor analysis, eleven socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods were systematically grouped into two factors. The first factor represented the neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status and the second factor represented the declining neighborhoods. Both neighborhoods are less attractive to the big retail stores economically (Bonanno, 2012), and are sometimes subject to malpractice like supermarket redlining (Eisenhauer, 2001).The food desert vulnerability index (FDVI) was created by ranking the variables of factor 1 and factor 2, and the ranking was based on percentiles. This index identified the census tracts of the Southern United States, Maine, Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona as the socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods thereby their possibility of being food deserts. Additionally, analysis of the effect of household characteristics using the regression models suggested that households that were large, minorities, single-parent, male-headed, and lived in the metros, and Midwestern and Southern regions were food insecure. Combined assessment of household and neighborhood characteristics using hierarchical linear modeling revealed that only 2.03 percent of the variance in the household food security score was attributable to differences between counties, thereby implying household food security was mostly dependent on the household’s characteristics. The major limitation of this study is that it does not incorporate the cross-sectional variations in food prices, the role of social capital, and the analysis of the food environment to assess household food insecurity. Research examining the influence of these aspects on household food security would be beneficial.