Kopels Miriam C, Roulette Casey J
Department of Anthropology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
Evol Med Public Health. 2023 Jan 11;11(1):18-29. doi: 10.1093/emph/eoad001. eCollection 2023.
It is well documented that college student populations are vulnerable to food insecurity and other adverse environmental conditions. Additionally, exposure to environmental adversity can have deleterious, long-term effects on physical and mental health. This study applies evolutionary life history theory to examine the relationship between environmental adversity, mental distress and diet among resource insecure university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Structured and semi-structured surveys were used to assess perceptions of environmental adversity (including mortality risk, food insecurity and resource availability; and changes in these factors over the course of COVID-19), mental distress, diet and use of campus support services. Participants included 51 college students recruited through an economic crisis center located at a large public university in southern California.
Most students were experiencing mental distress and food insecurity, and food insecurity and other components of adversity increased during COVID-19. Food insecurity was significantly associated with both perceived extrinsic mortality risk and mental distress, whereas mental distress was significantly associated with reduced dietary quality and caloric intake. Use of two or more campus support resources and/or living with family or rent free disrupted the associations of food insecurity with extrinsic mortality risk and mental distress.
This study contributes to a growing body of applied evolutionary frameworks concerned with the health and wellbeing of economically vulnerable populations. It also provides novel insights informed by life history theory into interventions and recommendations for improving support services for financially insecure college students.
有充分文献记载，大学生群体易受粮食不安全及其他不利环境条件影响。此外，暴露于环境逆境会对身心健康产生有害的长期影响。本研究应用进化生命史理论，以考察在新冠疫情期间资源匮乏的大学生中，环境逆境、精神困扰与饮食之间的关系。
采用结构化和半结构化调查，以评估对环境逆境的认知（包括死亡风险、粮食不安全和资源可获得性；以及这些因素在新冠疫情期间的变化）、精神困扰、饮食和校园支持服务的使用情况。参与者包括通过位于南加州一所大型公立大学的经济危机中心招募的51名大学生。
大多数学生都经历着精神困扰和粮食不安全，且在新冠疫情期间，粮食不安全及其他逆境因素有所增加。粮食不安全与感知到的外在死亡风险和精神困扰均显著相关，而精神困扰与饮食质量和热量摄入的降低显著相关。使用两种或更多校园支持资源和/或与家人同住或免租金，会破坏粮食不安全与外在死亡风险和精神困扰之间的关联。
本研究为越来越多关注经济弱势群体健康与福祉的应用进化框架做出了贡献。它还基于生命史理论，为改善对经济不安全大学生的支持服务的干预措施和建议提供了新的见解。
