Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2109, Australia.
Geography and Planning, Macquarie School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2109, Australia.
Appetite. 2024 Sep 1;200:107534. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107534. Epub 2024 May 31.
High rates of food insecurity and low consumption of fruit and vegetables among university students have been observed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and intensified during the pandemic. This study aimed to investigate food insecurity among university students and its associations with sociodemographic factors, fruit and vegetable consumption behaviours, and preferred campus programs to address these issues. A convenience sample of 237 Australian university students completed a cross-sectional online survey from October to December 2022. Food insecurity was assessed using the 10-item US Adult Food Security Module, applying the Canadian classification scheme. Sociodemographic variables, fruit and vegetable consumption behaviours, and perceptions of fruit and vegetable access and their affordability were included in the survey. Students were also asked to select the most suitable program(s) and provide reasons for their choice using open-ended questions. Approximately half of respondents (46.4%) were identified as food insecure. The proportion of students meeting the recommended intake of vegetables as specified in the Australian Dietary Guidelines was very low (5.1%) compared with fruit (46.2%). Low fruit consumption was significantly associated with food insecurity (OR = 1.81; 95%CI 1.03, 3.18, p = 0.038). Factors such as the perceived lower accessibility and higher price of fruit and vegetables were significantly associated with higher odds of food insecurity. In terms of potential programs, a free fruit and vegetable campaign was the most popular program, with affordability and physical access being the most frequently cited reasons. These findings suggest that food insecurity is associated with low fruit and vegetable consumption in university students. Therefore, transforming campus food environments and developing food policies at the university level must be considered to address food and nutrition security in university students.
在 COVID-19 大流行之前，就已经观察到大学生中存在较高的粮食不安全和低水果与蔬菜摄入量的情况，而在大流行期间这种情况加剧了。本研究旨在调查大学生中的粮食不安全情况及其与社会人口因素、水果与蔬菜消费行为以及解决这些问题的首选校园项目之间的关联。2022 年 10 月至 12 月，采用方便抽样法对 237 名澳大利亚大学生进行了横断面在线调查。使用美国成人粮食安全模块的 10 项问题评估粮食不安全情况，并应用加拿大分类方案。调查中包括社会人口变量、水果与蔬菜消费行为以及对水果与蔬菜获取和负担能力的看法。学生还被要求使用开放式问题选择最合适的项目，并说明选择的原因。大约一半的受访者（46.4%）被确定为粮食不安全。与水果（46.2%）相比，符合澳大利亚膳食指南规定的蔬菜推荐摄入量的学生比例非常低（5.1%）。低水果摄入量与粮食不安全显著相关（OR=1.81；95%CI 1.03，3.18，p=0.038）。水果和蔬菜感知到的较低可及性和较高价格等因素与粮食不安全的高几率显著相关。就潜在项目而言，免费水果和蔬菜活动是最受欢迎的项目，可负担性和实际可及性是最常提到的原因。这些发现表明，粮食不安全与大学生中低水果和蔬菜摄入量有关。因此，必须考虑改变校园食物环境和在大学层面制定食物政策，以解决大学生的食物和营养安全问题。
