College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Ecol Food Nutr. 2021 Sep-Oct;60(5):564-579. doi: 10.1080/03670244.2021.1954511.
College students experience food insecurity at higher rates than the general population, which has been found to be directly and indirectly associated with poor mental and physical health in addition to academic success. Since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, mounting evidence has demonstrated an increase in food insecurity rates in the U.S. The current study assessed food insecurity and its associated impacts on health and academic success among college students at a large urban university (n = 1743). Results revealed 46.8% of students as food insecure with statistically significant differences in race/ethnicity, GPA, and hours worked per week. Students who were observed with any level of food insecurity were more likely to also experience challenges with academics, careers, procrastination, and faculty as compared to their food secure counterparts. Analysis of differences in well-being indicators by food insecurity status revealed that students with any level of food insecurity were observed with statistically significantly higher mean scores for psychological distress, loneliness, and suicide behavior, with reduced scores for flourishing and resiliency as compared to their food secure counterparts. Implications for post-COVID-19 programming to mitigate food insecurity and associated public health issues associated with the COVID-19 and future pandemics are discussed.
大学生的食物不安全发生率高于一般人群，除了学业成功外，这还与心理健康和身体健康不良直接和间接相关。自 COVID-19 大流行以来，越来越多的证据表明美国的食物不安全发生率上升。本研究评估了一所大型城市大学（n=1743）的大学生食物不安全及其对健康和学业成功的影响。结果显示，46.8%的学生存在食物不安全问题，且在种族/民族、平均绩点和每周工作时间方面存在统计学差异。与食物安全的学生相比，观察到任何程度食物不安全的学生更有可能在学业、职业、拖延和与教师的关系方面遇到挑战。通过食物不安全状况分析幸福感指标的差异发现，与食物安全的学生相比，任何程度食物不安全的学生在心理困扰、孤独和自杀行为方面的平均得分明显更高，而在繁荣和弹性方面的得分则更低。讨论了针对 COVID-19 后计划的意义，以减轻与 COVID-19 和未来大流行相关的食物不安全和相关公共卫生问题。
