Prevalence and Correlates of Food Insecurity Among Students Attending a Midsize Rural University in Oregon

• Published in: Journal of nutrition education and behavior Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 209 - 214
• Main Authors: Patton-López, Megan M., López-Cevallos, Daniel F., Cancel-Tirado, Doris I., Vazquez, Leticia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.2014; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: academic achievement; Adolescent; Adult; College Students; confidence interval; Correlation analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographics; Female; food insecurity; Food security; Food supply; Food Supply - statistics & numerical data; foods; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Humans; income; Internal Medicine; Logistic Models; Male; odds ratio; Oregon; Oregon - epidemiology; Prevalence; regression analysis; rural; Rural areas; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Socioeconomic Factors; Students; Students - statistics & numerical data; support systems; surveys; Universities; USDA; Young Adult; Oregon; United States > US; Oregon; food insecurity; college students; rural
• ISSN: 1499-4046; 1878-2620; 1878-2620; 1708-8259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2013.10.007

To examine the prevalence and identify correlates of food insecurity among students attending a rural university in Oregon. Cross-sectional nonprobability survey of 354 students attending a midsize rural university in Oregon during May, 2011. The main outcome was food insecurity measured using the US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module: 6-Item Short Form. Socioeconomic and demographic variables were included in multivariate logistic regression models. Over half of students (59%) were food insecure at some point during the previous year. Having fair/poor health (odds ratio [OR], 2.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–4.63), being employed (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.04–2.88), and having an income < $15,000/y (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.07–4.63) were associated with food insecurity. In turn, good academic performance (grade point average of ≥ 3.1) was inversely associated with food insecurity. Food insecurity seems to be a significant issue for college students. It is necessary to expand research on different campus settings and further strengthen support systems to increase access to nutritious foods for this population.