Tenth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Food insecurity is a public health issue that affects college students across the United States. 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. This research topic was chosen as a part of the service-learning project. In many colleges and universities, this is not one of the most talked about issue, including the prevalence, manifestation, and causes of food insecurity. Particularly private institutions, which usually are costly, majority students are expected to belong to the higher socioeconomic status. Therefore, these institutions may be considered free of such an issue. The purpose of this study was to gain a greater understanding of food insecurity status of students in a midsize Northeastern private college. A19-item survey instrument was created on the causes, manifestation, and possible solutions of food insecurity that was piloted, modified, and finalized. 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 food insecurity 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 food insecurity status. Based on these findings, a set of recommendations is provided for student health programming and dining services at the college.