Food Insecurity (FI) in Colleges and Universities: A Needs Assessment of Student Population

• Published in: International journal of health, wellness & society wellness & society, 2021, Vol.11 (1), p.171-187
• Main Authors: Jesch, Elizabeth, Colgan, Catherine, Perdomo, Katherine, Pressman, Emily, Bajracharya, Srijana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access; College students; Colleges & universities; Diet; Food; Food security; Healthy food; Insecurity; Needs analysis; Needs assessment; Polls & surveys; Public health; Service learning; Socioeconomic status
• ISSN: 2156-8960; 2156-9053
• DOI: 10.18848/2156-8960/CGP/v11i01/171-187

Food insecurity (FI) is a public health issue that affects the general public with low income on a regular basis. In recent years, it is apparent that FI also exists among college students across the United States (U.S.). A study published in the Sage Journal in 2018 revealed that about one-half of the college students in the U.S. are food insecure. In many colleges and universities, this is not a commonly discussed issue, and the prevalence, indicators, and causative factors associated with FI are often left unexplored. Private institutions in particular, which are usually costly, most students are expected to belong to a higher socioeconomic status. Therefore, these institutions may be considered free of such an issue. This research topic was chosen as a part of the service-learning project in a college course. The purpose of this study was to gain a greater understanding of FI status of college students in a midsize Northeastern private college. A 19-item survey instrument was created on the prevalence, indicators, causative factors, and possible solutions of FI. The survey was distributed to a targeted randomly selected sample of 3,000 students using Qualtrics software. A total of 613 students filled out the survey regarding FI issues and potential solutions. The results indicated that about 17% of surveyed students identified themselves as being food insecure. There was a significant difference in students’ perception of their diet and accessibility of food while they are at college by their FI status. Based on these findings, a set of recommendations is provided for student health programming and dining services at the college.