Food Insecurity, Well-being, and Academic Success among College Students: Implications for Post COVID-19 Pandemic Programming.

Abstract

College students experience food insecurity at higher rates than the general population, which has been found to be directly and indirectly associated with poor mental and physical health in addition to academic success. Since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, mounting evidence has demonstrated an increase in food insecurity rates in the U.S. The current study assessed food insecurity and its associated impacts on health and academic success among college students at a large urban university (n = 1743). Results revealed 46.8% of students as food insecure with statistically significant differences in race/ethnicity, GPA, and hours worked per week. Students who were observed with any level of food insecurity were more likely to also experience challenges with academics, careers, procrastination, and faculty as compared to their food secure counterparts. Analysis of differences in well-being indicators by food insecurity status revealed that students with any level of food insecurity were observed with statistically significantly higher mean scores for psychological distress, loneliness, and suicide behavior, with reduced scores for flourishing and resiliency as compared to their food secure counterparts. Implications for post-COVID-19 programming to mitigate food insecurity and associated public health issues associated with the COVID-19 and future pandemics are discussed.