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Food Insecurity Is Associated with Increased Risk of Obesity in US College Students.

ABSTRACT: Background:Food insecurity affects millions of Americans and college students are especially vulnerable. Little is known about the relation of food insecurity with weight status and dietary intake during this critical phase of emerging adulthood. Objectives:We aimed to examine the sex-specific associations of food insecurity with obesity and dietary intake among college students. The study also explored these associations by meal plan (MP) enrollment. Methods:This cross-sectional study included 683 second-year students at 8 universities in the United States. Food security status and dietary intake were assessed using the USDA Adult Food Security Survey and the Dietary Screener Questionnaire, respectively. On-site anthropometrics were measured by researchers. Results:The prevalence of food insecurity at the universities ranged from 19.0% to 34.1% with a mean of 25.4% for the entire sample. Compared with high food security, marginal food security and food insecurity were associated with 3.16 (95% CI: 1.55, 6.46) and 5.13 (95% CI: 2.63, 10.00) times increased odds of obesity, respectively, exhibiting a dose-response relation. Food insecurity remained a significant predictor of obesity among both sexes after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Food-insecure (FI) students had a significantly lower intake of fruits and vegetables and higher intake of added sugars than food-secure (FS) students. Obesity rate and added sugars consumption were higher among FI students with MPs than among FI students lacking MPs and FS students regardless of MP status. Among students with MPs, FS students had a higher intake of fruits and vegetables than FI students. Conclusions:Food insecurity was associated with obesity and poor dietary intake among both sexes. Although MP subsidies may be a reasoned approach to combat food insecurity, it should be coupled with efforts to assist students in making healthy food choices.Registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02941497.

SUBMITTER: El Zein A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7408225 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Food Insecurity Is Associated with Increased Risk of Obesity in US College Students.

El Zein Aseel A Colby Sarah E SE Zhou Wenjun W Shelnutt Karla P KP Greene Geoffrey W GW Horacek Tanya M TM Olfert Melissa D MD Mathews Anne E AE

Current developments in nutrition 20200715 8

<h4>Background</h4>Food insecurity affects millions of Americans and college students are especially vulnerable. Little is known about the relation of food insecurity with weight status and dietary intake during this critical phase of emerging adulthood.<h4>Objectives</h4>We aimed to examine the sex-specific associations of food insecurity with obesity and dietary intake among college students. The study also explored these associations by meal plan (MP) enrollment.<h4>Methods</h4>This cross-sec ...[more]

PMID: 32793850

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Project description:BackgroundCollege students may be vulnerable to food insecurity due to limited financial resources, decreased buying power of federal aid, and rising costs of tuition, housing, and food. This study assessed the prevalence of food insecurity and its sociodemographic, health, academic, and food pantry correlates among first-year college students in the United States.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among first-year students (n = 855) across eight U.S. universities. Food security status was assessed using the U.S. Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Survey Module. Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Eating Attitudes Test-26 were used to assess perceived stress, sleep quality, and disordered eating behaviors, respectively. Participants self-reported their grade point average (GPA) and completed questions related to meal plan enrollment and utilization of on-campus food pantries.ResultsOf participating students, 19% were food-insecure, and an additional 25.3% were at risk of food insecurity. Students who identified as a racial minority, lived off-campus, received a Pell grant, reported a parental education of high school or less, and did not participate in a meal plan were more likely to be food-insecure. Multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and meal plan enrollment indicated that food-insecure students had significantly higher odds of poor sleep quality (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.43-3.76), high stress (OR = 4.65, 95% CI: 2.66-8.11), disordered eating behaviors (OR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.20-4.90), and a GPA < 3.0 (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.19-3.07) compared to food-secure students. Finally, while half of the students (56.4%) with an on-campus pantry were aware of its existence, only 22.2% of food-insecure students endorsed utilizing the pantry for food acquisition.ConclusionsFood insecurity among first-year college students is highly prevalent and has implications for academic performance and health outcomes. Higher education institutions should screen for food insecurity and implement policy and programmatic initiatives to promote a healthier college experience. Campus food pantries may be useful as short-term relief; however, its limited use by students suggest the need for additional solutions with a rights-based approach to food insecurity.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT02941497.

Project description:BackgroundFood insecurity, a state of not being able to consistently access nutritious food due to financial constraints, has been associated with poor dietary intake among college students. The extent to which campus food resources contribute to this association is unknown.ObjectivesThis study examined the association between food insecurity and dietary intake in a sample of undergraduate students with unlimited meal plans and dining hall access at a large, public Midwestern university.DesignThe study design is cross-sectional. The data used are baseline data from a broader sugar-sweetened beverage intervention study that were collected using a Qualtrics survey prior to the intervention.Participants/settingThe sample consisted of 1033 undergraduate students recruited from 3 dining halls. The data were collected in November 2018.Main outcome measuresFood security was assessed using the 6-item Short Form Food Security Survey Module. Dietary intake was assessed using the National Cancer Institute 26-item Dietary Screener Questionnaire and the Beverage Intake Questionnaire-15.Statistical analyses performedGeneralized linear regression models were used to examine differences in dietary intake by students' food security status, adjusting for students' sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsIn the sample, 14% of students were food-insecure. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, food-insecure students reported 9% lower intake of fruits (P = 0.02), 9% lower intake of vegetables (P < 0.001), 10% higher intake of dairy (P = 0.002), 6% higher intake of total added sugars (P = 0.01), 10% higher intake of added sugars from sugar-sweetened beverages (P = 0.01), 4% higher intake of calcium (P = 0.01), and 4% lower intake of fiber (P = 0.01) compared with food-secure students. With respect to beverage intake, food-insecure students had 56% higher intake of total sugar-sweetened beverages (P = 0.002), which was driven by 185% higher intake of energy and sports drinks (P = 0.001), and 121% higher intake of sweetened teas (P = 0.001).ConclusionsDespite having identical food resources within campus dining halls, there were significant differences in the diets of college students by food security status.

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Food Insecurity Is Associated with Increased Risk of Obesity in US College Students.

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Food Insecurity Is Associated with Increased Risk of Obesity in US College Students.

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