(P14-063-23) Diet Quality of Full Time College Students According to Food Security Status

Objectives: Among college students, food insecurity may present as a barrier for achieving good diet quality. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of low food security among a diverse population of college students and determine whether their diet quality differed on the basis of food security status.

Methods: Full time students aged 18 to 25 were recruited from two large Southern Californian universities. Dietary intakes were assessed by two interviewer-led 24-hour recalls on non-consecutive days and the healthy eating index (HEI)-2015 was computed from mean daily intake values. Participants completed a survey to assess sociodemographic characteristics which included the USDA 6-item short form to assess food security. Participants were stratified as having either High Food Security (score 0-1) or Low/Very Low Food Security (score 2-6). Differences in the total HEI-2015 and its components across food security groups were analyzed.

Results: Participants (N=105) had a mean±SD age of 20.5±1.7 years and mean body mass index of 22.9±4.2 kg/m². The majority were female (83.8%) and there was diversity in racial/ethnic groups: Asian (36.2%), White (14.3%), Black (4.8%), Hispanic (33.3%), Other (11.4%). Twenty percent were found to have Low/Very Low Food Security, and this group had significantly older age compared to the High Food Security group (Mean difference = -1.2, F (1,103) = 3.12, P = .003). No other differences were noted in regards to race, BMI, residence, or sex. The average HEI-2015 among all participants was 55.2±13.6, with no significant difference according to food security status (High Food Security = 55.4±14.1, Low/Very Low Food Security = 54.3±11.8, P = .754). Whole grains and saturated fatty acids HEI component scores were higher in the High Food Security group, while refined grains and dairy scores were higher in the Low/Very Low Food Security group. Only the difference in the refined grains score trended towards significance after adjusting for age (P = .056).

Conclusions: The average HEI-2015 score among a diverse student body was well below the recommended score of 80, and these scores did not differ based on food security. Age was significantly associated with food security status, with older students more likely to experience food insecurity.

Funding Sources: Funding for this study was provided through UC Irvine Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention.