Abstract
Objectives: The prevalence of student food insecurity at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) is relatively high (58.0%) compared to the national population (12.7%). We explored the relationship between food security status, perceived health, and student experience among MUN students.
Methods: Through an online survey of returning MUN students at the St. John’s campus, we assessed food security using Statistics Canada’s Canadian Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM), and self-reported physical health, mental health, and stress. We used logistic regression to compare health and stress ratings between students of different food security levels. We thematically coded open-ended responses to describe students’ experiences related to food insecurity.
Results: Among the 967 study eligible students, 39.9% were considered food insecure, 28.2% were moderately food insecure, and 11.7% were severely food insecure. After controlling for significant predictors, students who were moderately or severely food insecure were 1.72 [95% CI:(1.20,2.48)] and 2.81 [95% CI:(1.79,4.42)] times as likely to rate their physical health as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ than food secure students, and 1.66 [95% CI:( 1.22,2.27)] and 4.23 [95% CI: (2.71-6.60] times as likely to rate their mental health as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ than food secure students, respectively.
Conclusion: Food security level experienced by MUN students was closely related to their perceived physical and mental health. As food security level worsened among participants, their self-reported physical and mental health also worsened. Health professionals working with university student populations should screen for food security and consider its relationship to students’ health.
The role of mental health on the relationship between food insecurity and immunologic outcome among people living with HIV in Guangxi, China
