Coming to College Hungry

Abstract

This exploratory descriptive, single-university study (N=700) joined institutional, external, and survey data to examine first-year students’ food insecurity links to non-cognitive attributes and first-semester performance and persistence. Regressions indicate LGBTQ, multi-racial, international, transfer, and first-generation students exhibit increased food insecurity. Food insecurity linked with psychological distress, financial stress, amotivation, and intent to engage with peers but not to faculty, staff, and academic engagement. Food insecurity is also associated with lower first-semester GPA and credits earned. Findings strengthen limited evidence that food insecurity links to college students’ experience, suggesting groups of already-underserved students may need immediate support to ease food insecurity.

Experiences of food insecurity among LGBTQIA+ college students in North Texas: Meaning, experiences, and recommendations for inclusive solutions

“…These findings provide insights into several ways that both on-campus and off-campus food-security programs could be more inclusive of LGBTQIA+ students. Primarily, universities need gender and sexuality resource centers, like the UNT Pride Alliance, that invest in the success of LGBTQIA+ students by providing resources for the specific and unique needs of LGBTQIA+ students (Collier et al, 2021). These centers can play a pivotal role in providing the infrastructure necessary for the forthcoming recommendations.…”

“…According to The Hope Center, 65% of students who identify as LGBTQIA+ experience some form of basic needs insecurity (food or housing) (The Hope Center, 2021a). Collier et al (2021) found a relationship between students who selfidentified as LGBTQIA+ and food insecurity. Additional research found that transgender and genderqueer students had a higher risk of food insecurity than cis-gender students (Diamond et al, 2020;Hasket et al, 2020;Keefe et al, 2020;Laska et al, 2021;Riddle et al, 2020).…”

“…LGBTQIA+ Students Recent research highlights the relationship between sexual orientation, gender identity, and food insecurity of college students (Collier et al, 2021;Crutchfield & Maguire, 2019;Diamond et al, 2020;UC Global Food Initiative, 2017). According to The Hope Center, 65% of students who identify as LGBTQIA+ experience some form of basic needs insecurity (food or housing) (The Hope Center, 2021a).…”

“…Although only a few studies specifically focused on LGBTQIA+ students and food insecurity, these studies align with the literature that shows a higher prevalence of food insecurity and financial stress in the LGBTQIA+ adult population than non-LGBTQIA+ adult population. The experience of the LGBTQIA+ community with food insecurity is well documented (Badgett et al, 2013;Brown et al, 2016;Collier et al, 2021;Gibb et al, 2021;Patterson et al, 2020;Testa & Jackson, 2021). However, more data are needed on the relationship between LGBTQIA+ students and food insecurity, particularly information highlighting the experiences of food insecurity among this student population.…”

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“…The Hope Center found that students who identify as LGBTQ were more likely to experience basic needs insecurity and reported that 65% of LGBTQ students experience some form of basic needs insecurity, such as food insecurity, housing insecurity, and/or homelessness (The Hope Center, 2021). There has, however, been a lack of in-depth research on food insecurity amongst LGBTQIA2S+ university students, although recent research has begun to explore this topic (Collier et al, 2021;Henry et al, 2023). A myriad of factors may contribute to this gap in research, such as research on specific population intersections being more complex to study and analyze in comparison to studies focused on single population factor or a lack of research funding.…”