Objectives: Food insecurity among college students, combined with limited nutrition knowledge and barriers to healthy eating, significantly impacts diet quality and fruit and vegetable intake. Efforts to address these issues are further complicated by the challenges of accurately and efficiently collecting dietary data in research settings. This study aimed to explore the relationship between nutrition knowledge and fruit/vegetable intake using skin, plasma, and dietary carotenoid levels as biomarkers. Methods: Undergraduate and graduate students aged 18 years and older (n = 166) from a California public university were recruited. The sample was predominately female (n = 133, 80%), with 30 males (18%) and three individuals (2%) identifying as non-binary. Food security was assessed using the USDA’s 10-item Adult Food Security Survey Module and nutrition knowledge through a validated questionnaire. Biological data included blood samples and skin carotenoid measurements (Veggie Meter^®). Dietary quality (HEI-2015) and carotenoid intake were assessed through Diet ID™, a photo-based assessment tool. Results: The mean nutrition knowledge scores were 36.55 ± 8.83 out of 58 points, and the mean skin carotenoid score was 307.07 ± 110.22. Higher knowledge scores were associated with increased plasma carotenoids, HEI-score, and Diet ID™ total carotenoids. Food security classification did not significantly impact nutrition knowledge but did influence HEI scores and skin carotenoid levels, with very low food security linked to poorer diet quality and lower carotenoid levels. Conclusions: Nutrition knowledge may serve as a significant predictor of fruit and vegetable intake in university students. Despite this correlation, the impact of overall diet quality is potentially hindered by an individual’s food security status. Therefore, while knowledge is critical, addressing food insecurity is essential for enhancing diet quality among college students.

To investigate the impact of a college-level nutrition course on factors related to food agency. Pre-post study. Four-year, large, public, land-grant university. Students enrolled in Nutrition 10, an introductory nutrition course (n = 1,873), and a comparison group of students not taking the course (n = 1,125) who completed both the pre- and post-surveys over an academic quarter (3 quarters total). The 92-item questionnaire included the Money Expenditure Scale, Coping Strategy Scale, nutrition knowledge, and the 10-item US Department of Agriculture's Adult Food Security Survey Module. Wilcoxon ranksum tests, ttests, and regression models examined associations between nutrition knowledge and key variables. Structural equation modeling assessed bidirectional relationships. Students who took the class improved nutrition knowledge (+2.23 ± 5.14 points) compared with a decline in the comparison group (-0.42 points ± 3.55; P < 0.001). Structural equation modeling indicated increased nutrition knowledge was associated with lower Money Expenditure Scale (β = -0.03, P = 0.04) and Coping Strategy Scale (β = -0.17, P < 0.001) scores. Existing nutrition courses could help improve nutrition knowledge and factors related to food agency. Future research is needed to identify how improvements in nutrition knowledge translate into sustained behavioral changes that enhance food security in higher education.

Undergraduate learners are ideal candidates for participation in service-learning projects, which allow learners to apply course concepts in a community setting where both the university and community benefit. In pre-health fields, undergraduate students can serve as teachers for concepts such as food literacy. This study examined whether a rigorous virtual professional development model would improve self-efficacy of undergraduate participants to teach food literacy to adolescents. A purposive sampling of participants (n = 12) from two universities participated in a yearlong virtual service-learning project and a community of practice professional development model. Tasks included virtual lesson modeling and virtual development of short, learner-centered activities for an adolescent food literacy curriculum. Informal interviews were conducted at the end of the academic year. Participants reported that the virtual service-learning project connected to their coursework, improved their confidence and professional communication, and was a safe space for growing their teaching practice. Findings were not generalizable due to the small n and purposive sampling, and participants were unable to teach adolescents during the pandemic. The service-learning project may be transferable to local health departments as there is a demonstrated need of alternative implementation models for health education interventions.

Given the nexus between food insecurity and body dissatisfaction, a deeper understanding of this complex relationship in college students is needed. The purpose of this cross-sectional study, using the American College Health Association—National College and Health Assessment 2021 (n = 2003) at a large public university, was to explore the associations between food insecurity, personal appearance distress, and compensatory behaviors associated with body dissatisfaction. An analysis of variance with Tukey’s post hoc comparisons was performed to assess the relationship of outcomes associated with personal appearance distress by food security status. Structural equation modeling, using multivariable logistic and ordinal regression, were constructed to explore the impact of personal appearance distress, perception of body weight, weight control attempts, and dietary behaviors, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index, and food security status. Food insecurity was associated with lower grade point average, higher overall stress, and personal appearance distress. Personal appearance distress was associated with fewer servings of vegetables (p = 0.006) and fruits (p = 0.01), higher perceived body weight (p < 0.001), and more weight modification attempts (p < 0.05). The associations between food insecurity, personal appearance distress, and compensatory behaviors could extend to disordered eating behaviors, necessitating awareness and interventions from college campus programming and administration.

Background: College campuses have implemented food pantries and basic needs programs to support students’ well-being and promote food security. However, barriers associated with use persist. Understanding help-seeking behaviors and an individual’s willingness to seek food-related assistance is essential to inform programming and advance food security research. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a scale measuring an individual’s willingness to seek help from various people and resources during a period of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Methods: Scale development occurred in three phases: expert panel evaluation, cognitive interviews for feedback and refinement, and online survey administration (n=1093), alongside the United States Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Survey Module. Chi-squared tests analyzed associations between willingness and categorical variables. Pearson’s linear regressions were used to explore relationships between food security, socio-demographic characteristics, and willingness scores. Results: Food insecurity was negatively associated with Willingness Scale scores (ß= -0.018, p = 0.04). The very low food security group had the most individuals classified as unwilling (p < 0.01). Willingness to seek help from one’s circle of support was the most preferred source of assistance across all food security groups. Although social media was the least favorable source of support, those with very low food security were the most willing to seek assistance through social media (22.3%). Conclusion: The findings from this study emphasize the importance of an individual’s circle of support in improving food access and contribute to a broader understanding of the relationship between food security and food access use.