142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Predictors and outcomes of food insecurity in University students

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 9:10 AM - 9:30 AM

Nicole Kasper, MPH , Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Erica Mirabitur , Literature Sciences and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Colleen Rathz , Literature Sciences and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Karen Peterson, D.Sc. , Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Introduction: Food insecurity (FI) is associated with decreased diet quality and risk of obesity in some populations. FI has been described as a serious problem in college students in the media, but few studies have addressed the topic and none have examined the effects of FI on diet and obesity in this understudied population.

Methods: We conducted a campus-wide survey in 2012 and 2013 at a major public university to examine the determinants and outcomes of FI. 727 students completed the survey and responses were adjusted to the University’s demographic enrollment using post-stratification adjustment weighting. Prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated using Poisson regression.   

Results: The weighted prevalence of FI was 41.1%.   FI was associated with gender (PR=1.43 for males; p=0.009), race (PR= 1.49 for races not including White or Asian compared to White; p=0.006), and degree (PR=0.56 for Ph.D. compared to bachelor’s; p=0.05) in multivariable models.  FI was associated with a 2.64 times increased risk of obesity (p=0.08).  Although FI was not associated with a significant decreased reported fruit and vegetable (FV) intake, FI students reported a greater number of barriers to FV intake (p<0.001) and were less likely to have fresh FV in the home (PR=0.84; p=0.011). Future research to be conducted in the spring of 2014 will include focus groups in FI students and an analysis of the relationship between FI and food access.

Discussion: The magnitude of reported FI indicates that college students may face unique factors that put them at a high risk for FI.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Epidemiology
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the predictors and effects of food insecurity in University students. Discuss specific barriers to fruit and vegetable intake that University students report and how these differ between food insecure and food secure students.

Keyword(s): Food Security, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conceived of and oversaw all aspects of this study, including literature review, survey design and implementation, and data analysis. My area of research is the relationship between the food environment and food insecurity in a variety of local and international contexts. I also founded a nonprofit organization to address the issues of food access and insecurity on campus.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4035.0: Associations between food insecurity and health outcomes