Food Insecure College Students and Objective Measurements of Their Unused Meal Plans

Nutrients

Sonia Vega-Lόpez¹  Meg Bruening¹  Marc Adams¹  Irene van Woerden²  DavidR. Schaefer³  Daniel Hruschka⁴ 

[1] College of Health Soultions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA;College of Nursing, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA;Department of Sociology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA;School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA;

关键词: food insecurity;    college;    university;    students;    freshmen;    meal plans;    dining halls;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu11040904

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Some researchers have proposed the prevalence of food insecurity among college students is high due to students’ meal plans providing insufficient meals. The association between college students’ food security status and their meal plans have not yet been examined. In this study, United States (US) first year college students (N = 534) self-reported their food security status in the Fall 2015 and/or Spring 2016 semester(s). Objective measures of students’ meal plans were obtained from the university. Logistic generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to determine if students’ meal plan, and meal plan use, predicted food insecurity. Linear GEEs were used to examine several potential reasons for lower meal plan use. We found that students did not use all of their available meals. Compared to students on the most expensive (unlimited) meal plan, students on the cheapest (8 meals/week) meal plan were the most likely to report food insecurity (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.2, 4.1). However, in the Fall semester, 26% of students on unlimited meal plans also reported food insecurity. For students on the 180 meals/semester meal plan, food insecurity was associated with using fewer meals (OR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.8, 1.0). Students who worked tended to use their meal plan less (β = −1.3, 95% CI = −2.3, −0.3). Students are reporting food insecurity while having meals left in their meal plan.

【 授权许可】

Unknown