Differences in Measured and Self-Categorized Food Security Status and Related Coping Strategies among College Students
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design and Participants
2.2. Measures
2.2.1. Participant Characteristics
2.2.2. Food Security Status
2.2.3. Coping Strategies
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Participant Characteristics
3.2. AFSSM-Measured Food Security Compared with Self-Categorized Food Security Status
3.3. Differences in AFSSM Question Responses between Food Insecure Students Who Self-Categorized as Food Secure and Food Insecure
3.4. Differences in Coping Strategies, and BMI
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variable | Total a n (%) | AFSSM-Measured Food Secure Mean (SD) or n (%) | AFSSM-Measured Food Insecure Mean (SD) or n (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Age | 962 | 22.7 (5.0) | 21.4 (3.7) + |
Gender | 993 | 596 (60.0) | 397 (40.0) |
Male | 335 (33.7) | 210 (35.2) | 125 (31.5) |
Female | 658 (66.3) | 386 (64.8) | 272 (68.5) |
Ethnicity | 996 | 599 (60.1) | 397 (39.9) |
Hispanic or Latino | 225 (22.6) | 111 (18.5) | 114 (28.7) * |
Not Hispanic or Latino | 771 (77.4) | 488 (81.5) | 283 (71.3) * |
Race | 984 | 592 (60.2) | 392 (39.8) |
White | 667 (67.8) | 416 (70.3) | 251 (64.0) * |
Black or African American | 71 (7.2) | 21 (3.5) | 50 (12.8) * |
Asian | 166 (16.9) | 109 (18.4) | 57 (14.5) |
Multiple Races | 58 (5.9) | 36 (6.1) | 22 (5.6) |
Other Races | 22 (2.2) | 10 (1.7) | 12 (3.1) |
Marital Status | 992 | 597 (60.2) | 395 (39.8) |
Single | 827 (83.4) | 490 (82.1) | 337 (85.3) |
Married | 61 (6.1) | 43 (7.2) | 18 (4.6) |
Living with Partner/In a Relationship | 104 (10.5) | 64 (10.7) | 40 (10.1) |
Year in College | 1000 | 600 (60.0) | 400 (40.0) |
First Year | 25 (2.5) | 15 (2.5) | 10 (2.5) |
Second Year | 595 (59.5) | 362 (60.3) | 233 (58.3) |
Third Year | 131 (13.1) | 78 (13.0) | 53 (13.3) |
Four Year | 113 (11.3) | 46 (7.7) | 67 (16.8) * |
Graduate Student | 136 (13.6) | 99 (16.5) | 37 (9.3) * |
Residence Status | 1002 | 601 (60.0) | 401 (40.0) |
In-state | 824 (82.2) | 490 (81.5) | 334 (83.3) |
Out-of-state | 84 (8.4) | 49 (8.2) | 35 (8.7) |
International | 94 (9.4) | 62 (10.3) | 32 (8.0) |
Employment Status | 1001 | 600 (49.9) | 401 (40.1) |
Full-time (30 or more hours/week) | 128 (12.8) | 83 (13.8) | 45 (11.2) |
Part-time (1–29 h/week) | 457 (45.7) | 270 (45.0) | 187 (46.6) |
Not Employed | 416 (41.6) | 247 (41.2) | 169 (42.1) |
Pell Grant Recipient | 995 | 600 (60.3) | 395 (39.7) |
Yes | 284 (28.5) | 120 (20.0) | 164 (41.5) * |
No | 711 (71.5) | 480 (80.0) | 231 (58.5) * |
Place of Residence | 986 | 594 (60.2) | 392 (39.8) |
On-campus Residence Hall | 141 (14.3) | 89 (15.0) | 52 (13.3) |
Off-campus Housing | 845 (85.7) | 505 (85.0) | 340 (86.7) |
Financial Independence | 1001 | 601 (60.0) | 400 (40.0) |
Yes | 414 (41.4) | 229 (38.1) | 185 (46.3) * |
No | 587 (58.6) | 372 (61.9) | 215 (53.8) * |
Variable | Total n (%) | AFSSM-Measured FI + Self-Categorized FS, n (%) | AFSSM-Measured FI + Self-Categorized FI, n (%) | p-Value * |
---|---|---|---|---|
USDA AFSSM Raw Score Food Insecure Categories | n = 401 | n = 232 | n = 169 | <0.001 |
Raw Score of 3–5 (Low FS Category) | 172 (42.9) | 124 (53.4) | 48 (28.4) | |
Raw Score of 6–10 (Very Low FS Category) | 229 (57.1) | 108 (46.6) | 121 (71.6) |
Variable | Total a, n | AFSSM-Measured FI + Self-Categorized FS n, Mean (SD) | AFSSM-Measured FI + Self-Categorized FI n, Mean (SD) | p-Value * |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coping Strategies Mean Scores | ||||
Saving Subscale (max score of 27) | 396 | 229, 17.41 (3.74) | 167, 18.81 (3.52) | <0.001 |
Support Subscale (max score of 30) | 400 | 231, 16.09 (2.92) | 169, 16.56 (3.28) | 0.13 |
Access Subscale (max score of 15) | 397 | 229, 8.38 (1.72) | 168, 9.08 (1.57) | <0.001 |
Selling Subscale (max score of 12) | 395 | 227, 4.96 (1.40) | 168, 5.35 (1.58) | 0.01 |
Overall Score (max score of 84) | 388 | 223, 46.92 (7.50) | 165, 49.76 (7.54) | <0.001 |
Variable | Total a n (%) | AFSSM-Measured FI + Self-Categorized FS n (%) | AFSSM-Measured FI + Self-Categorized FI n (%) | p-Value * |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coping Strategies Overall Score by Quartiles | n = 388 | n = 223 | n = 165 | 0.002 |
Score of 28.0–42.0 (bottom 25%) | 101 (26.0) | 70 (31.4) | 31 (18.8) | |
Score of 42.1–47.0 | 96 (24.7) | 58 (26.0) | 38 (23.0) | |
Score of 47.1–53.0 | 107 (27.6) | 60 (26.9) | 47 (28.5) | |
Score of 53.1–84.0 (top 25%) | 84 (21.6) | 35 (15.7) | 49 (29.7) |
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Engel, M.D.; Shelnutt, K.P.; House, L.A.; El Zein, A.; Mathews, A.E. Differences in Measured and Self-Categorized Food Security Status and Related Coping Strategies among College Students. Nutrients 2022, 14, 3569. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14173569
Engel MD, Shelnutt KP, House LA, El Zein A, Mathews AE. Differences in Measured and Self-Categorized Food Security Status and Related Coping Strategies among College Students. Nutrients. 2022; 14(17):3569. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14173569
Chicago/Turabian StyleEngel, Megan D., Karla P. Shelnutt, Lisa A. House, Aseel El Zein, and Anne E. Mathews. 2022. "Differences in Measured and Self-Categorized Food Security Status and Related Coping Strategies among College Students" Nutrients 14, no. 17: 3569. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14173569