Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA.
Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Foundations, College of Education, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA.
Nutrients. 2022 Aug 26;14(17):3517. doi: 10.3390/nu14173517.
Food insecurity has emerged as a leading health care problem in the United States, impacting college students' health, well-being, and academic performance. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the prevalence of food insecurity, (2) to identify college students' perceptions about food access resources, and (3) to explore students' expressed needs from the university in improving food security status. A mixed-methods approach was used to assess the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the study aims. An online survey to gather demographic information and assess food security status using the 6-item version of the US Household Food Security Scale Module (HFSSM) was administered. Next, qualitative focus groups with subsets of participants was conducted to gain further insight into the perceptions, coping mechanisms, and resource utilization issues related to food insecurity. This study found 34.1% of undergraduate college students to be food insecure and demonstrates that students with a meal plan are less likely to be food insecure ( = 0.012; OR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.489, 0.918). Qualitative data identified key influencers of food insecurity: (1) personal beliefs, (2) life skills, and (3) the university. The results of this study contribute to the literature focused on food insecurity prevalence in college students and presents insight from the college student perspective. Findings may support the development of relevant interventions that are congruent with students' needs, enhancing resource utilization to increase food security status among college students.
在美国，粮食不安全已成为一个主要的医疗保健问题，影响着大学生的健康、福祉和学业成绩。本研究的目的是：（1）评估粮食不安全的发生率，（2）确定大学生对粮食获取资源的看法，以及（3）探讨学生对大学改善粮食安全状况的表达需求。本研究采用混合方法评估了研究目的的定量和定性方面。进行了一项在线调查，收集人口统计信息，并使用美国家庭粮食安全状况量表模块（HFSSM）的 6 项版本评估粮食安全状况。然后，对参与者的子群体进行了定性焦点小组讨论，以更深入地了解与粮食不安全相关的看法、应对机制和资源利用问题。本研究发现，34.1%的本科生粮食不安全，并表明有膳食计划的学生不太可能粮食不安全（ = 0.012；OR = 0.68；95%CI = 0.489，0.918）。定性数据确定了粮食不安全的主要影响因素：（1）个人信念，（2）生活技能，和（3）大学。本研究的结果有助于聚焦于大学生粮食不安全发生率的文献，并从大学生的角度提供了见解。研究结果可能支持制定与学生需求相符的相关干预措施，增加资源利用，提高大学生的粮食安全状况。
