Campus Location
Abilene Campus (Residential)
Date of Award
8-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Social Work
Degree Name
Master of Science
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Kyeonghee Jang
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Rachel Slaymaker
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Darrin Cox
Abstract
Food insecurity amongst college students is a rising crisis. Students’ inability to access nutritional food on a consistent basis can negatively impact student retention, academic success, mental and physical health, and social mobility, all of which are at an even greater risk due to the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, children and adolescents in primary and secondary school who experience food insecurity can experience developmental delays, which can impede their ability to obtain a postsecondary degree. Limited research has been conducted on the topic of food insecurity at private universities as well as identifying chronic food insecurity. The present study aims to describe the prevalence of food insecurity among college students as well as examine related factors in relation to food insecurity such as sociodemographic factors and prior experiences of food insecurity while in primary or secondary school. It utilized a cross-sectional survey for a convenience sample of 222 college students at a private university in Texas. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed the statistically significant effect of the prior experiences of food insecurity on current food insecurity disappeared when other factors were additionally considered. The student’s first-generational status was the only significant factor. The findings imply colleges and universities, particularly private universities should address areas in need of improvement, namely student supportive services. This study suggests further studies continue to verify identified findings in the study with a more representative and larger sample.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Que, Shannon Beatrice, "Food Security as a Basic Right for College Students: A Descriptive Study of the Factors Associated with Food Insecurity and Higher Education Attainment" (2020). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 239.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/239