A Comparison of Food Insecurity Prevalence among Students Attending Minority Serving Versus Predominantly White Institutions in Pre, Earlier, and Later Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND

College students have a high prevalence of food insecurity, and descriptive reports suggest even higher rates at minority-serving institutions than those at predominantly White institutions. These institutional inequities in food insecurity among college students based on minority designation may have shifted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to compare the prevalence of food insecurity between students at minority serving and predominantly White institutions during 3 phases: prepandemic [Fall 2019-Spring 2020 (February 2020)], earlier pandemic (Fall 2020-Spring 2021), and later pandemic (Fall 2021-Spring 2022).

METHODS

Our study included repeated cross-sectional samples from the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III (N = 287,221 students, 354 institutions). We performed multivariable Poisson regression with cluster-robust SEs to estimate associations between institutional minority designation and food insecurity, with 1 model for each pandemic phase.

RESULTS

Students attending minority serving compared with predominantly White institutions had a higher prevalence of food insecurity overall (42% compared with 37%) and within each pandemic phase. After adjusting for sociodemographic and institutional characteristics, students at minority serving institutions had 23% higher food insecurity prevalence during the prepandemic phase than students at predominantly White institutions (95% confidence interval: 1.14, 1.32). Associations were null for earlier and later pandemic phases.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower institutional inequities in food insecurity after the onset of the pandemic may reflect more students returning home as well as an increase in social safety net programs. Regardless of cause, the high prevalence of food insecurity among students, especially at minority serving institutions, underscores the importance of addressing food insecurity at postsecondary campuses.