(P24-118-23) Understanding Perceptions of Food Security Status in College Students

Objectives: Food insecurity on college campuses is a pressing issue; however, the causes and implications are complex, making the full scope of the problem difficult to quantify. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine if an individual's perceptions of their food security status align with their Adult Food Security Survey Module (AFSSM) classification.

Methods: Enrolled students at UC Davis (n=43) were recruited and completed a 47-item questionnaire that measured experiences regarding food acquisition and food security status through the AFSSM before an interview. Interview transcripts were inductively coded using Atlas.ti software and quantitative analyses were conducted using chi-squared tests.

Results: Participants were able to define food security and discuss factors that may result in food insecurity. Interviews indicated that most participants face a series of challenges with maintaining food security. Participants recounted experiences where access, finances, and time resulted in skipping meals or having to strategize food acquisition. Regardless of food security status, participants reported using a variety of coping mechanisms to improve or maintain food security (90.4%), with the most common being purchasing less expensive food items (72.4%). There were no differences in the use of this coping strategy by food security status (χ² = 5.49, p = 0.14). However, when comparing the results of the AFSSM and qualitative data from the interviews, 34.8% of participants recounted experiences that did not align with the self-reported food security status from the AFSSM. This suggests that the AFSSM classification may not adequately capture the unique food-related experiences and challenges in this college population.

Conclusions: Although many components influence food security, students’ perception of their food security status may be a driving factor towards identifying their use of coping mechanisms for food acquisition. Results from this study can be used to inform the development of better evaluation tools and food access resources in this population.

Funding Sources: Funding for the study was provided in part by the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Resource Center at the University of California, Davis and the University of California Office of the President Global Food Initiative.