Abstract
This study examined a cross-campus collaboration to assess levels of student food insecurity, to identify factors contributing to increased risk for food insecurity, and to determine how to address food insecurity. A random sample of students at a public, mid-sized, regional university were asked to complete an electronic survey about food insecurity and related topics. A majority (65%) indicated being at least marginally food insecure. In terms of strategies to address food insecurity, students were not aware of or did not use food pantries. These findings encouraged the university to engage in a collaborative effort to create a food pantry in support of student wellbeing and positive academic outcomes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Basch, C. E. (2010). Healthier students are better learners: A missing link in efforts to close the achievement gap. Journal of School Health, 81, 593–598 Retrieved from http://www.equitycampaign.org/i/a/document/12557_EquityMattersVol6_Web03082010.pdf
Bell, S. (2012). Nontraditional college students are the new majority. From the Bell tower. Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/03/opinion/nontraditional-students-are-the-new-majority-from-the-bell-tower/#_
Bruening, M., Brennhofer, S., van Woerden, I., Todd, M., & Laska, M. (2016). Factors related to the high rates of food insecurity among diverse, urban college freshmen. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116, 1450–1457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.04.004
Bruening, M., Argo, K., Payne-Sturges, D., & Laska, M. N. (2017). The struggle is real: A systematic review of food insecurity on postsecondary education campuses. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117, 1767–1791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.05.022
Coleman-Jensen, A., Rabbit, M., Gregory, C., & Singh, A. (2019). Household food security in the United States in 2018, 1–39, Report no. 270. Retrieved from the website of the United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/94849/err-270.pdf
College and University Food Bank Alliance (2015). Running a campus food pantry: Student government toolkit. Retrieved from http://studentgovresources.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/SGRC_Campus_Food_Pantry_Toolkit.pdf
College and University Food Bank Alliance (2017). Our members. Retrieved from https://sites.temple.edu/cufba/members/
College Portrait. Voluntary System of Accountability (2015). Retrieved from http://www.collegeportraits.org/NC/UNC-Wilmington/characteristics
Daugherty, J. B., Birnbaum, M., & Clark, A. (2019). ‘Having enough’: Students’ understanding of food insecurity and campus food pantry use. Journal of Poverty, 23, 600–620. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2019.1652721
Dubick, J., Mathews, B., & Cady, C. (2016). Hunger on campus: The challenge of food insecurity for college students. Retrieved from http://studentsagainsthunger.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Hunger_On_Campus.pdf
Fang, M. (2013). Poverty among college students increases the overall rate. Think Progress. Retrieved from https://thinkprogress.org/poverty-among-college-students-increases-the-overall-rate-ae283dcd3c47/
Goldrick-Rab, S., Richardson, J., Schneider, J., Hernandez, A., & Cady, C. (2018). Still hungry and homeless in college,1–52. Retrieved from the website of The Hope Center: https://hope4college.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Wisconsin-HOPE-Lab-Still-Hungry-and-Homeless.pdf
Government Accountability Office (2018). Food insecurity: Better information could help eligible college students access federal food assistance benefits. (GAO-19-95). Retrieved from the website of the United States Government Accountability Office. https://www.gao.gov//assets/700/696254.pdf
Hagedorn, R. L., & Olfert, M. D. (2018). Food insecurity and behavioral characteristics for academic success in young adults attending an Appalachian university. Nutrients, 10, 1–12 http://dx.doi.org.liblink.uncw.edu/10.3390/nu10030361
Hagedorn, R. L., McArthur, L. H., Hood, L. B., Berner, M., Anderson Steeves, E. T., Connell, C. L., Wall-Bassett, E., Spence, M., Babatunde, O. T., Kelly, E. B., Waity, J. F., Lillis, J. P., & Olfert, M. D. (2019). Expenditure, coping, and academic behaviors among food-insecure college students at 10 higher education institutes in the Appalachian and southeastern regions. Current Developments in Nutrition, 3, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzz058
Haskett, M. E., Majumder, S., Wright, S., & Kotter-Grühn, D. (2018). Food and housing security among NC state students. Retrieved from the NC State University website https://dasa.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/NC-State-Food-and-Housing-Insecurity-1.pdf
Kleinman, R. E., Hall, S., Green, H., Korzec-Ramirez, D., Patton, K., Pagano, M. E., & Murphy, J. M. (2002). Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, 46(suppl 1), 24–30.
Maroto, M. E., Snelling, A., & Linck, H. (2014). Food insecurity among community college students: Prevalence and association with grade point average. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 39, 515–526.
Meldrum, L. A., & Willows, N. D. (2006). Food insecurity in university students receiving financial aid. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 67, 43–46.
Meza, A., Altman, E., Martinez, S., & Leung, C. W. (2018). “It’s a feeling that one is not worth food”: A qualitative study exploring the psychosocial experience and academic consequences of food insecurity among college students. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 119, 1713–1721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2018.09.006
Morris, L.M., Smith, S., Davis, J., & Null, D.B. (2016). The prevalence of food security and insecurity among Illinois University students. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48, 376-382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2016.03.013
National Center for Education Statistics (2016). Fast facts: Tuition costs of colleges and universities. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76
National Center for Education Statistics (2017). College student employment. The Condition of Education, 1–4. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/pdf/coe_ssa.pdf
Patton-Lopez, M., Lopez-Cevallos, D. F., Cancel-Tirado, D. I., & Vazquez, L. (2014). Prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among students attending a midsize rural university in Oregon. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 46, 209–214.
Payne-Sturges, D. C., Tjaden, A., Caldeira, K. M., Vincent, K. B., & Arria, A. M. (2017). Student hunger on campus: Food insecurity among college students and implications for academic institutions. American Journal of Health Promotion, 32, 349–354. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117117719620
Phillips, E., McDaniel, A., & Croft, A. (2018). Food insecurity and academic disruption among college students. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 55, 353–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2018.1470003
Pia Chaparro, M., Zaghloul, S. S., Holck, P., & Dobbs, J. (2009). Food insecurity prevalence among college students at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Public Health Nutrition, 12, 2097–2103. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980009990735
Redford J., & Hoyer, K.M. (2012). First-generation and continuing generation college students: A comparison of high school and postsecondary experiences, 1–27. Retrieved from the National Center for Education Statistics website: https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018009.pdf
Saul, S. (2016, June 22). Food pantries address a growing hunger problem at colleges. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/education/food-pantries-address-a-growing-hunger-problem-at-colleges.html
Swipe Out Hunger (n.d.). Our work. Retrieved from https://www.swipehunger.org/ourwork/
Taras, H. (2005). Nutrition and student performance at school. Journal of School Health, 75, 199–213.
Ullevig, S. L., Vasquez, L. L., Ratcliffe, L. G., Oswalt, S. B., Lee, N., & Lobitz, C. A. (2020). Establishing a campus garden and food pantry to address food insecurity: Lessons learned. Journal of American College Health., 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1705830
University of California Global Food Initiative (2017). Global food initiative: Food and housing security at the University of California. https://www.ucop.edu/global-food-initiative/_files/food-housing-security.pdf
University of Florida (n.d.). Farm and gardens. Retrieved from https://fieldandfork.ufl.edu/programs/farm-and-gardens/
University of North Carolina Wilmington (2017). Higher expectations: UNC system performance agreement (2017). Retrieved from https://www.northcarolina.edu/sites/default/files/pa/UNCW%20Performance%20Agreement%2012152017.pdf
Widome, R., Jensen, A., Bangerter, A., & Fu, S. S. (2015). Food insecurity among veterans of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Public Health Nutrition, 18, 844–849. https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898001400072X
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Waity, J.F., Huelskamp, A. & Russell, J. Collaborating to Assess and Address Food Insecurity on a College Campus: a Case Study at a Mid-Sized, Regional University. Innov High Educ 45, 405–417 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-020-09512-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-020-09512-y