NUTRITION SERIES: Food Insecurity, College, and Health

Food insecurity has become a bigger and bigger topic since Covid hit, but what do we really know about it? It has always been prevalent, and now it impacts more people than you'd imagine.

You don't usually associate college students with the term food insecurity, and yet, it is so prevalent and can change the course of their health and academic success. 

Sometimes we forget how many different factors go into what we eat and our health outcomes, when there are SO many determinants. Food insecurity is a huge part of it, and it impacts more than just what and how we eat - it can be a detriment to all aspects of life. 

You might experience it without knowing, because many people believe they aren't as misfortunate as others, and in turn invalidate their experience and don't use services that could help change the paradigm. 

So, let's start with what it actually is. 

Food insecurity is the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources (ODPHP).

It's separated a two categories: 

Low food security, which is " reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake;" 

and 

Very low food security, which is "multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake (ODPHP)."

It isn't just not being able to feed yourself, it includes overall nutritional quality and even desirability of diet. How many students living in apartments only eat ramen noodles and Hungry Man meals because they can't both work enough, succeed in school, and afford a quality diet? Does that sound familiar?

Most people think a person has to be significantly impoverished to be food insecure, but that's not the case. 

Right now 19-56% of college students are experiencing food insecurity, and the rate has gone up 15% from 2019 prior to the onset of the pandemic (El Zein, A. et al., 2019; Allison, T. 2018; Nikolaus et al., 2020; Owens et al., 2020; Morris et al., 2016; Dubick et al. 2016; McArthur 2020). 

What people don't also consider is that with the nutritional deficits it causes, lack of food security can be a detriment to academic success, sleep quality, stress and can cause disordered eating (El Zein, A. et al., 2019; Morris et al., 2016; Taylor et al. 2019; Dubick et al. 2016).

Eating patterns and nutritional content of food is invaluable to students and not only their quality of life, but academic success. Not to mention how stress and sleep can impact overall health and wellbeing, which a student has enough trouble with even before being exacerbated by food insecurity.

As a result of it, academics can suffer from students being unable to purchase a textbook, missing classes, dropping a class and reduced GPA (El Zein, A. et al., 2019; Morris et al., 2016; Taylor et al. 2019; Dubick et al. 2016). 

College students with food insecurity are also more likely to question their ability to continue with their education (Taylor et al. 2019). 

Many students who are both receiving financial aid and working still remain food insecure, illuminating a problem with the available resources that are not fully addressing the factors putting students at risk (Dubick et al. 2016).  

Academic and health outcomes are based significantly on factors that we can not change about ourselves. 

For one example, factors impacting food insecurity are largely sociodemographic (El Zein, A. et al., 2019; Owens et al., 2020; Morris et al., 2016). Students of some race and ethnic groups such as African American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander, are more likely to be food insecure (El Zein, A. et al., 2019; Owens et al., 2020; Morris et al., 2016).

Undergraduate students and single parents are more likely to be impacted by food insecurity (Owens et al., 2020). Employment status was found to be a strong predictor, as well as housing security (Owens et al., 2020; Dubick et al. 2016; Morris et al., 2016).

One in four students’ living arrangements were altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as more than half of students’ employment statuses, which poses a higher risk situation in the current times (Owens et al., 2020).

Students who lived off campus without parents/guardians also had higher incidences of food insecurity (Morris et al., 2016).

Remember that it comes in many shapes and sizes. 

If you are struggling with any of these things, don't gaslight yourself! Consider the possibilities, and think about ways to take advantage of resources that are available, that hopefully are of easy access. It can be difficult to accept help, and some people internalize shame around it. It's not my place to say anything but that there is nothing you can do about the situation you are in, and you deserve to use what's available to you. Everyone who is financially stable enough to have continuous quality diets without any disruption to eating patterns is just lucky. They were dealt a hand of 4 aces. 

A couple recommendations I have are to figure out about your school's food pantry, and also find out if there is a meal donation program. I know that my school has a program where students can donate meals from the dining hall and no one knows who uses them, you just have to sign up to receive them. Every school is different, but I know schools are trying harder and harder to provide easier and less obvious access to helping students with food insecurity. If you need help figuring out what's available to you I am always happy to help.

Have a great week, and I'll talk to you all soon with my last Nutrition Series post on Intuitive Eating!

References 

Allison, Tom. “Rethinking SNAP Benefits for College Students.” Young Invincibles, Feb. 2018, https://younginvincibles.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/02/Rethinking_SNAP_benefits.pdf. 

Dubick, J., Matthews, B., Cady, C. (2016). Hunger On Campus The Challenge of Food Insecurity for College Students. College and University Food Bank Alliance. https://studentsagainsthunger.org/hunger-on-campus/ 

El Zein, A., Shelnutt, K.P., Colby, S., Vilaro, M.J., Zhou, W., Greene, G., Olfert, M.D., Riggsbee, K., Morrell, J.S., Matthews, A.E. (2019). Prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among U.S. college students: a multi-institutinal study. BMC Public Health, 19(660).  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6943-6 

McArthur, L., Fasczewski, K.S., Farris, A., Petrone, M.R. (2020). Use and Perceptions of a Campus Food Pantry Among Food Insecure College Students: An Exploratory Study from Appalachia. Journal of Appalachian Health, 2(2), 7-23. https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0202.02 

Morris, L. M., Smith, S., Davis, J., & Null, D. B. (2016). The prevalence of food security and insecurity among Illinois University students. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48(6), 376–382. https://doiorg.umasslowell.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2016.03.013 

Nikolaus, C.J., Ellison, B., Nickols-Richardson, S.M. (2020). Food Insecurity among College Students Differs by Questionnaire Modality: An Exploratory Study. American Journal of Health Behavior, 44(1), 82-89. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.44.1.9 

Owens, M., Brito-Silva, F., Kirkland, T., Moore, C.E., Davis, K.E., Patterson, M.A., Miketinas, D.C., Tucker, W.J. (2020). Prevalence and Social Determinants of Food Insecurity among College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Nutrients, 12(9), 2515. 10.3390/nu12092515  

Taylor, L.C., Delavega, E., Won Jin, S., Neely-Barnes, S.L., Elswick, S.E. The Prevalence and Correlates of Food Insecurity among Students at a Multi-Campus University. (2019). Journal of Poverty, 23(7), 621-633. 10.1080/10875549.2019.1656141 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2022). Definitions of Food Security. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/definitions-of-food-security/