Creating a culture that supports food security and health equity at higher education institutions

Abstract

Food insecurity on college campuses is a major public health problem and has been documented for the last decade. Sufficient food access is a crucial social determinant of health, thus campuses across the country have implemented various programs, systems and policies to enhance access to food which have included food pantries, campus gardens, farmers’ markets, meal share or voucher programs, mobile food applications, campus food gleaning, food recovery efforts, meal deliveries, and task force/working groups. However, little is understood about how to best address food insecurity and support students who are struggling with basic needs. The impact of food insecurity on students’ academic and social success, in addition to their overall well-being, should be investigated and prioritized at each higher education institution. This is especially true for marginalized students, such as minority or first-generation students, who are at heightened risk for food insecurity. In order to create a culture of health equity, in which most at-risk students are provided resources and opportunities to achieve optimal well-being, higher education institutions must prioritize mitigating food insecurity on the college campus. Higher education institutions could benefit from adopting comprehensive and individualized approaches to promoting food security for marginalized students in order to facilitate equal opportunity for optimal scholastic achievement among students of all socio demographic backgrounds.

Persistent and Changing Food Insecurity Among Students at a Midwestern University is Associated With Behavioral and Mental Health Outcomes

“…University programs supporting the transition to residential independence during early adulthood could help smooth the transition to adulthood and mitigate food insecurity and associated health risks. While further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of such programs in different populations, campus settings, and over time, a multifaceted approach including educational programs addressing financial management, 53 food procurement and preparation 54 skills, and awareness of and access to existing support programs may improve food campus food security and provide longer-term benefits 19,55,56 that could help support students into adulthood.…”

Narrowing the equity gap in student food security: A student-led approach at the University of Wyoming

“…Though efforts to improve student food security in general may often reach those who most need the support, ending disparities requires a more proactive approach (Haggerty et al, 2018;Savoie-Roskos et al, 2023). And while efforts to measure who disproportionately experiences student food insecurity have grown, we were unable to find examples of colleges and universities implementing strategies to explicitly address that inequity, though we expect many may be working toward it.…”

Association between food insecurity status, campus food initiative use and diet quality in Australian university students

“…24 ARFS total diet quality score (ranging from 0 to 73) is calculated by summing the points within eight subscales, with 20 points related to vegetables, 12 to fruits, 12 to bread and cereals, 10 to dairy foods, 7 to meat, 6 to meat alternatives, 2 to spreads or sauces and 1 to water. 25 Scores were categorised into the following groups: 'needs work' (<33), 'getting there' (33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38), 'excellent' (39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46) or 'outstanding' (47+). 23 Five demographic and education characteristics of students were collected including age category (18-24 years, 25-34 years, 35-44 years), sex (male, female), enrolment type (domestic or international student), faculty of enrolment (Business and Law; Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities; Engineering and Information Science; Science, Medicine and Health); course level of the subjects students are studying (100 level = first-year undergraduate; 200 level = second-year undergraduate; 300 level = thirdyear undergraduate; 400 level = fourth-year undergraduate; postgrad = postgraduate study) and living situation (living in own home or with parents, living in on campus accommodation or renting, doing a homestay, living in a share house or irregular accommodation).…”

“…F I G U R E 1 Respondents of Australian Recommended Food Score were categorised into four groups of diet quality: 'needs work' (<33), 'getting there' (33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38), 'excellent' (39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46) or 'outstanding' (47+) by food insecurity group.…”

“…41 Savoie-Roskos et al proposed a range of actions that universities can, and should, take to create a culture that supports food security and health equity at higher education institutions, which includes raising awareness of food security and healthy food environments on campus, improving students' access to existing resources and developing comprehensive policies and fostering partnerships to promote food security and health equity among students. 42 One critical step at The University of Wollongong would include establishing a comprehensive food policy and strategy, in addition to policies that support healthy and sustainable on-campus dining and provisioning solutions. Furthermore, universities should regularly monitor food insecurity and evaluate campus food environments to examine the healthiness, sustainability and equity of the campus food environment, 43 although commitment for such changes requires substantial motivation and expertise to be made available in each university.…”