College students may be vulnerable to food insecurity due to limited financial resources, decreased buying power of federal aid, and rising costs of tuition, housing, and food. This study assessed the prevalence of food insecurity and its sociodemographic, health, academic, and food pantry correlates among first-year college students in the United States. A cross-sectional study was conducted among first-year students (n = 855) across eight U.S. universities. Food security status was assessed using the U.S. Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Survey Module. Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Eating Attitudes Test-26 were used to assess perceived stress, sleep quality, and disordered eating behaviors, respectively. Participants self-reported their grade point average (GPA) and completed questions related to meal plan enrollment and utilization of on-campus food pantries. Of participating students, 19% were food-insecure, and an additional 25.3% were at risk of food insecurity. Students who identified as a racial minority, lived off-campus, received a Pell grant, reported a parental education of high school or less, and did not participate in a meal plan were more likely to be food-insecure. Multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and meal plan enrollment indicated that food-insecure students had significantly higher odds of poor sleep quality (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.43–3.76), high stress (OR = 4.65, 95% CI: 2.66–8.11), disordered eating behaviors (OR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.20–4.90), and a GPA < 3.0 (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.19–3.07) compared to food-secure students. Finally, while half of the students (56.4%) with an on-campus pantry were aware of its existence, only 22.2% of food-insecure students endorsed utilizing the pantry for food acquisition. Food insecurity among first-year college students is highly prevalent and has implications for academic performance and health outcomes. Higher education institutions should screen for food insecurity and implement policy and programmatic initiatives to promote a healthier college experience. Campus food pantries may be useful as short-term relief; however, its limited use by students suggest the need for additional solutions with a rights-based approach to food insecurity. Retrospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT02941497.

Background: The number of food pantries on U.S. college campuses has increased in response to students’ food insecurity, but limited information is available to describe the impact of this resource. The objective of this cross-sectional investigation was to examine the relationship between food insecurity and food pantry awareness, use, and perceived barriers to use. Methods: Students attending the University of Florida in fall 2017 (n = 899) completed the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Adult Food Security Survey and responded to questions about food pantry awareness and use. Sociodemographic data were also collected and included in multivariate logistic regression models. Results: While most students (70%) were aware of the existing food pantry, nearly a third of respondents were classified as being food insecure. After adjusting for sociodemographic correlates, factors such as identifying as being food insecure, international status, and receiving a student loan or a need-based federal financial aid (Pell grant) increased the likelihood of utilizing the campus food pantry. Despite these predictors, only 38% of food insecure students reported food pantry use. Among students who provided qualitative insights, four main barriers to using the on-campus food pantry were identified: social stigma, insufficient information on pantry use policies, self-identity, and inconvenient hours. Conclusions: Food security interventions and administrative policy should consider a new model of the traditional campus food pantry that reduces concerns of social stigma and is supported by clear and ongoing communications of operational procedures tailored for the college student population.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the number of food insecure households in the United States (US), it is unclear how it has affected college student food security status. College students are ineligible for many Covid-19-related economic relief programs and may find it even more difficult to cope during the pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and describe the prevalence of food insecurity at a public university before and after the onset of Covid-19 as well as factors associated with any change in food security. Researchers administered a cross-sectional, non-probability survey to college students (n = 3206) that assessed food security status prior to and after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as questions related to various sociodemographic characteristics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Thirty-eight percent of students experienced a change in food security as a result of the pandemic, with 59.6% becoming less food secure, and 40.4% becoming more food secure. Characteristics that were associated with changes in food security included changes in housing and employment status as a result of the pandemic. These findings suggest that the pandemic led to changes in food security among college students, and that economic relief efforts should include college students, who are disproportionately affected by food insecurity.

Because diet quality (DQ) is associated with risk of chronic disease and is a common construct assessed in health-related research, validated tools to assess DQ are needed that have low respondent and researcher burden. Thus, content experts develop the Short Healthy Eating Index (sHEI) tool and an associated scoring system. The sHEI scoring system was then refined using a classification and regression tree (CRT) algorithm methodology with an iterative feedback process with expert review and input. The sHEI scoring system was then validated using a concurrent criterion validation process that included the sHEI DQ scores (calculated from responses from 50 participants) being compared to the participants’ Healthy Eating Index scores derived from 24 h recalls. The total HEI score from the CRT algorithm highly correlated with the 24 h recall HEI score (0.79). For individual food group items, the correlation between the CRT algorithm scoring and the 24 h recall data scoring ranged from 0.44 for refined grains to 0.64 for whole fruits. The sHEI appears to be a valid tool for estimating overall dietary quality and individual items (with correlations > 0.49) for fruits, vegetables, dairy, added sugar, sugar from sugar-sweetened beverages, and calcium.