Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Tuesday, October 19Community and Population HealthAssessing Student Food Security Status at Oregon Health & Science University During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Section snippets
Learning Outcome
Describe impacts of COVID-19 on food security status and resource use among students in health professional programs.
Background
Food insecurity is prevalent among higher-education students resulting in short and long-term academic and health consequences. Changes in food security status and university/community food resource use was assessed using a cross-sectional survey disseminated to OHSU health professional students 12-months before and 2-3 months after the COVID-19 shelter-at-home mandate.
Methods
Descriptive statistics summarized sociodemographic, educational background, and resource use. The validated USDA Household Food Security Survey Module Six-Item Short Form was used to assess food security status. McNemar’s tests or chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests were used to determine change over time in food security and resource use and associations with sociodemographic factors, respectively.
Results
Among 175 students who completed the survey, 35% and 34% were food insecure before and during the pandemic, respectively. There was no difference in change in food security status classification among those who became food insecure (3.4%) or those who became food secure (4.6%) after the shelter-at-home mandate (p=0.59). Compared to estimates of food insecurity among OHSU students in 2018, which was 25%, prevalence of food insecurity were significantly higher (p<0.001) and use of University
Conclusion
Prevalence of food insecurity at OHSU has increased among students since 2018 with limited access to resources on campus and within the community because of state-wide closures. These findings reinforce the need to reach-out to and support students during crisis events, such as COVID-19, to provide proper food and income-based resources to ensure academic success, health, and wellness.
Funding source
None