Experiences of food insecure college students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

<p><strong>Background:</strong>&nbsp;Food insecurity is defined as having limited ability to obtain or access adequate healthy foods due to a lack of money and other resources, as well as eating unhealthy but inexpensive foods to avoid hunger. Food insecure individuals often experience poorer self-rated health, more frequent school or work absences due to physical or mental health, higher body mass index (BMI), and higher prevalence of chronic disease such as diabetes and depression. The ability of college students to consistently access appropriate food impacts both their mental and physical health. Not enough food or depending on low nutrient food can lead to stress, anxiety and chronic disease which can result in poor academic performance. College students are becoming increasingly food insecure. While the costs of attending college, including tuition, along with fees such as housing, food services, and learning materials has continued to rise the growth of overall income has not matched this pace. This gap leaves undergraduate college students at a higher risk for experiencing food insecurity than ever before. Risk factors identified among college students who were experiencing food insecurity included being non-Caucasian, being a first-generation college student, receiving financial aid, and experiencing housing insecurity. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced yet another barrier for those who are food insecure. In the face of the pandemic, many institutions transitioned to online education and shut down their physical campus spaces for various lengths of time. This disruption of services included the inability of students to access on-campus dining services as well as campus food pantries, leaving more students vulnerable to food insecurity and with less access to a wider variety of affordable foods. The COVID-19 pandemic increased economic instability due to job or wage loss and an increased rate of housing insecurity. In addition, those students who were living on campus when the transition to virtual learning occurred had to find alternate housing and may not have received any amount of reimbursement from their educational institution. Students enrolled full-time faced restricted eligibility to participate in federal nutrition assistance programs.</p> <p><strong>Aim:</strong>&nbsp;The aims of this qualitative descriptive study were to describe the experiences and needs of food insecure college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and to obtain foundational information about food insecurity during a public health crisis to provide guidance for the development of future interventions.</p> <p><strong>Method:</strong>&nbsp;Interviews were conducted with 24 college students who self-identified as food insecure. The students ranged in age from 19 to 25 years with a mean age of 21. Most of the participants were female (79%) and identified as White (42%). Most of the students were enrolled as full-time students, received financial aid, were employed either full time or part time and lived off campus at the time of data collection.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong>&nbsp;Three major themes emerged from the analysis of the data: Access to more resources, multiple losses; and &ldquo;college kids need help&rdquo;.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong>&nbsp;While some students experienced an improvement in their food status due to increased support in the home or from government program accessibility, others experienced profound losses. Jobs, wages, and access to campus food sources were the most frequently reported losses among the participants. These losses had a combined negative impact on the participants&rsquo; food security. Finally, students expressed the need for help. College students require help accessing adequate amounts of healthy food and look to their academic institutions for support with this need. commuter students were often at a disadvantage when being aware of or trying to access food resources on campus during the pandemic. Nurses who provide care to college-aged adolescents can take actionable steps, including early and frequent assessment for food insecurity, referral to food resources, support and management of physical and psychological issues related to food insecurity, and advocacy for improved food programs for this population to improve food insecurity going forward.</p>