A High Prevalence of Food Insecurity Among University Students in Appalachia Reflects a Need for Educational Interventions and Policy Advocacy

McArthur, Laura H.; Ball, Lanae; Danek, Ariel C.; Holbert, Donald

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2017.10.011

Cited by 90 publications

(182 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Finally, college students with dependent children, former foster youth, or students with familial financial shocks reported food insecurity more frequently (Gaines et al., ; Goldrick‐Rab et al., ). Students experiencing food insecurity report skipping meals, buying cheaper, more processed foods, and trying to make food stretch (McArthur, Ball, Danek, & Holbert, ). Many of these groups of students already represent some of our most vulnerable and marginalized communities; food insecurity exacerbates the struggles for these students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scholars suggest varied, and often multiple and intersecting approaches to address food insecurity. One of the issues for food insecure college students stems from a lack of knowledge about food in general, including healthy food options, how to prepare meals, and how to best spend money on food (McArthur et al., ). Therefore, one solution to food insecurity is to increase students’ food literacy (Gallegos, Ramsey, & Ong, ; McArthur et al., ; Watson et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the issues for food insecure college students stems from a lack of knowledge about food in general, including healthy food options, how to prepare meals, and how to best spend money on food (McArthur et al., ). Therefore, one solution to food insecurity is to increase students’ food literacy (Gallegos, Ramsey, & Ong, ; McArthur et al., ; Watson et al., ). Multiple scholars suggest the main solution should meet the immediate need of the student by providing food at little to no cost, with significant focus on access to food pantries (Cady, ; Gallegos, Danielle, Ramsey, Rebecca, & Ong, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If the need to address food insecurity goes unmet, what outcomes can be expected for students experiencing food insecurity? Scholars cite multiple negative consequences of food insecurity such as poor academic performance, struggles with mental and social health, limited dietary choices and overall poor health status among adolescents and young adults (Cady, ; Gaines et al., ; McArthur et al., ). Furthermore, Wall‐Bassett, Li, and Matthews () found students experiencing food insecurity experienced greater stress levels than their peers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Food Pantries as a Gateway for Academic Enhancement and Basic Needs Support

Gupton

Trost²,

Collins

2018

New Drctns Community Coll

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Food Pantries as a Gateway for Academic Enhancement and Basic Needs Support

Gupton

Trost²,

Collins

2018

New Drctns Community Coll

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“…Three systematic reviews have highlighted the heightened food insecurity prevalence for college students in the United States [3,21,22]. This is worrisome as food insecurity among college students has been associated with inadequate diet quality [23][24][25], poor self-reported health [23,[26][27][28][29][30], decreased academic performance [23,26,29,[31][32][33], and reliance on unhealthy coping behaviors [26,34,35]. Therefore, food insecurity is detrimental to a college students physical and mental well-being and can potentially impact successful degree attainment.…”

Section: Exact Prevalence Of Food Insecurity For the Entirety Of Appamentioning

confidence: 99%

WISH4Campus: Evaluating College Food Insecurity and Promoting Solutions for Student Wellbeing

Hagedorn¹

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Interest in college food insecurity has increased in previous years, however, little research focuses on the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States resulting in limited understanding of food insecurity's impact on college students in these regions. Additionally, resources to help food insecure students are often sparse with universities lacking evidence-based programming to implement for student benefit. Aims: This dissertation aims to (1) investigate the correlates and behavioral consequences of food insecurity on college students at an Appalachian university, (2) expand college food insecurity research to a regional investigation in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions, and (3) develop and evaluate a toolkit of food insecurity initiatives that can assist higher education institutions in providing adequate resources for food insecure students. Methods: A 56 item, cross sectional survey was utilized for aims 1 and 2. Surveys were distributed to students attending 10 public universities in the Appalachian and Southeastern Regions between Spring 2016 and Spring 2018. Food security status was measured using the United States Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Screener (USDA AFSS). This survey also included demographic, behavioral, health, and economic independent variables. Forward selection logistic regression was used to determine variables that increased the likelihood of being food insecure. Aim 3 used online survey data collection to capture feedback on the WISH4Campus (Wellbeing Increased by Security from Hunger) toolkit. Experts (n=126) from land-grant universities were sent a 27-question survey to determine perceptions of food insecurity and evaluation of specific toolkit components. Descriptive statistics and frequency analyses were performed on quantitative data and thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Results: Students at an Appalachian university (n=692) reported food insecurity prevalence at 36.6%. Results of the forward selection logistic regression showed money expenditure (MES), coping strategies (CSS), health, and academic year were significant predictors of food insecurity in college students. When expanded to a regional investigation of 13,642 college students, prevalence of food insecurity at the universities ranged from 22.4-51.8% with an average prevalence of 30.5%. From the forward selection logistic regression model, MES, CSS, academic performance (APS), grade point average (GPA), academic year, perceived health status, race/ethnicity, financial aid, cooking frequency, and health insurance were significant predictors of food security status. For aim 3, thirty experts completed the toolkit evaluation survey. Evaluation feedback covered four main topics: layout, overall content, initiatives, and application. Eight themes emerged from the coding and categorization of responses: visual appeal, organization, value, provoking, comprehensive, barriers, collaboration, and efficiency. Conclusion: Limited research has focused on college food insecuri...

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A content analysis of qualitative research on college student food insecurity in the United States

Williams,

Thompson,

Ardoin

et al. 2024

Review of Education

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Using a content analysis methodology, we examined 15 peer‐reviewed articles published between 2009 and 2019 that used qualitative and mixed methods approaches to explore how college and university students experience food insecurity. Concerningly, there was limited variety in the methods employed across these articles and more discussion of methodology was needed. Despite this, our analysis of student statements in these articles yielded three common themes: (1) co‐occurring basic needs; (2) academic, physical, psychological, and social effects of food insecurity; and (3) institutional satisfaction and/or critique. We include implications for research and practice.Context and implicationsRationale for the studyFew qualitative studies centre students' food insecurity experiences in the United States. We examined available research to unearth commonalities across student narratives while connecting food insecurity to broader social class inequality in higher education.Why the new findings matterOur findings underscore the urgent need for additional qualitative food insecurity scholarship that foregrounds student voices. Future researchers examining food insecurity should consider: (a) the nuances of on‐campus food insecurity, (b) the impact of food insecurity on student success, and (c) the linkages between food insecurity and social class in higher education.Implications for policy makersCampus leaders and policy makers can help address campus food insecurity by building holistic wraparound systems to support the multi‐faceted needs of students facing food insecurity. To do this, policy makers and leaders must begin to understand food insecurity as more than a statistic and acknowledge the human experiences of those it affects.

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A High Prevalence of Food Insecurity Among University Students in Appalachia Reflects a Need for Educational Interventions and Policy Advocacy

Cited by 90 publications

References 18 publications

Food Pantries as a Gateway for Academic Enhancement and Basic Needs Support

Food Pantries as a Gateway for Academic Enhancement and Basic Needs Support

WISH4Campus: Evaluating College Food Insecurity and Promoting Solutions for Student Wellbeing

A content analysis of qualitative research on college student food insecurity in the United States

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