Development and Evaluation of a Higher Education Food Security Toolkit to Provide Ideas of Initiatives for Student Wellbeing: WISH4Campus (P04-049-19)

Abstract Objectives Many universities are starting initiatives on campus to support food insecure students in receiving nutritious food. However, there is no comprehensive resource of these initiatives to help guide universities in starting a program on campus. The objective of this study is to describe the development and evaluation of a toolkit that can assist higher education institutions in promoting a campus environment, providing adequate resources for food insecure students. Methods The toolkit development was guided by the basis of the Normalization Process Theory (NPT) to evaluate factors that could facilitate or inhibit initiative success on campus. A review of literature was undertaken by two independent reviewers to gather all peer reviewed and grey literature on food insecurity programs currently available on college campuses in the United States. Findings were compiled into a toolkit that contained six initiative chapters: food pantries, campus gardens, farmers markets, dining and recovery programs, mobile applications, and policy initiatives. The toolkit was evaluated by experts from land-grant universities who work with food insecurity issues (n = 126). Experts completed a 27-question survey to determine demographics, perceptions of food insecurity and evaluation of specific toolkit components. Descriptive statistics and frequency analyses were performed on quantitative data and content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Results Thirty experts (23.8% response rate) completed the evaluation survey. Evaluation feedback covered four main topics: layout, overall content, initiatives, and application. Eight themes emerged from the coding and categorization of responses. They were visual appeal, organization, value, provoking, comprehensive, barriers, collaboration, and efficiency. Corrections and recommendations were provided for each topic. Conclusions The themes derived from expert feedback encompassed the initial objective of the toolkit. This toolkit serves as a comprehensive resource that can be utilized by student leaders, clubs or organizations, campus stakeholders or administrators to begin a food security initiative on campus to promote student well-being. Funding Sources Primary funding is from the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station WVA00689 and WVA00721. The first author is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences T32 grant (GM081741).

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Food Insecurity Contributes to Poorer Dietary Outcomes in Higher Education Students: A Systematic Review

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzab035_088 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 180-180

Author(s):

Yumeng Shi ◽

Alyse Davies ◽

Margaret Allman-Farinelli

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Tertiary Education ◽

The United States ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Primary Study ◽

Education Students ◽

Food Security Status

Abstract Objectives Tertiary education students have been found to experience a higher prevalence of food insecurity than the general population. This systematic review aims to examine the existing evidence on the association between food insecurity and dietary outcomes among higher education students. Methods Nine electronic databases and gray literature were searched. Studies that reported dietary outcomes (e.g., nutritional intake and meal patterns) in students of differing food security status in tertiary education settings in any country were included. All primary study designs were eligible for inclusion, except for qualitative studies. Two reviewers completed the title/abstract and full-text screening, data extraction, and quality assessment independently. Results A total of 14 studies were included in the final qualitative synthesis of this review. The prevalence of food insecurity among higher education students ranged from 21% to 82% across the included studies from the United States, Canada, Australia and Greece. Lower intakes of healthy foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) and higher intakes of unhealthy foods (e.g., fast foods, added sugars, and sugar-sweetened beverages) were observed in food-insecure students. Some students also consumed less breakfast and evening meal than food-secure students but the evidence was limited. The overall diet quality was not consistently measured in students with different food security status by using validated dietary assessment tools. Conclusions Poorer dietary outcomes were found in higher education students with food insecurity compared with food-secure students. More policy interventions, effective nutrition education, and food assistance programs should be provided by tertiary education institutions and governments to target the nutritional needs of food-insecure students. Funding Sources This review received no specific funding.

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Food Insecurity in the United States: Identification, Treatment, and Implications

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2791 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 772-773

Author(s):

Rose Ann DiMaria-Ghalili ◽

Connie Bales ◽

Julie Locher

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Older Adults ◽

At Risk ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Health Clinic ◽

High Risk Population ◽

Geriatric Syndrome ◽

The Impact

Abstract Food insecurity is an under-recognized geriatric syndrome that has extensive implications in the overall health and well-being of older adults. Understanding the impact of food insecurity in older adults is a first step in identifying at-risk populations and provides a framework for potential interventions in both hospital and community-based settings. This symposium will provide an overview of current prevalence rates of food insecurity using large population-based datasets. We will present a summary indicator that expands measurement to include the functional and social support limitations (e.g., community disability, social isolation, frailty, and being homebound), which disproportionately impact older adults, and in turn their rate and experience of food insecurity and inadequate food access. We will illustrate using an example of at-risk seniors the association between sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and function, with rates of food security in the United States. The translational aspect of the symposium will then focus on identification of psychosocial and environmental risk factors including food insecurity in older veterans preparing for surgery within the Veterans Affairs Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health clinic. Gaining insights into the importance of food insecurity will lay the foundation for an intervention for food insecurity in the deep south. Our discussant will provide an overview of the implications of these results from a public health standpoint. By highlighting the importance of food insecurity, such data can potentially become a framework to allow policy makers to expand nutritional programs as a line of defense against hunger in this high-risk population.

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High food insecurity in Latinx families and associated COVID-19 infection in the Greater Bay Area, California

BMC Nutrition ◽

10.1186/s40795-021-00419-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Milagro Escobar ◽

Andrea DeCastro Mendez ◽

Maria Romero Encinas ◽

Sofia Villagomez ◽

Janet M. Wojcicki

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

San Francisco ◽

Employment Status ◽

The United States ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Bay Area ◽

Household Food ◽

History Of ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Food insecurity impacts nearly one-in-four Latinx households in the United States and has been exacerbated by the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We examined the impact of COVID-19 on household and child food security in three preexisting, longitudinal, Latinx urban cohorts in the San Francisco Bay Area (N = 375 households, 1875 individuals). Households were initially recruited during pregnancy and postpartum at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) and UCSF Benioff prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. For this COVID-19 sub-study, participants responded to a 15-min telephonic interview. Participants answered 18 questions from the US Food Security Food Module (US HFSSM) and questions on types of food consumption, housing and employment status, and history of COVID-19 infection as per community or hospital-based testing. Food security and insecurity levels were compared with prior year metrics. Results We found low levels of household food security in Latinx families (by cohort: 29.2%; 34.2%; 60.0%) and child food security (56.9%, 54.1%, 78.0%) with differences between cohorts explained by self-reported levels of education and employment status. Food security levels were much lower than those reported previously in two cohorts where data had been recorded from prior years. Reported history of COVID-19 infection in households was 4.8% (95% Confidence Interval (CI); 1.5–14.3%); 7.2% (95%CI, 3.6–13.9%) and 3.5% (95%CI, 1.7–7.2%) by cohort and was associated with food insecurity in the two larger cohorts (p = 0.03; p = 0.01 respectively). Conclusions Latinx families in the Bay Area with children are experiencing a sharp rise in food insecurity levels during the COVID-19 epidemic. Food insecurity, similar to other indices of poverty, is associated with increased risk for COVID-19 infection. Comprehensive interventions are needed to address food insecurity in Latinx populations and further studies are needed to better assess independent associations between household food insecurity, poor nutritional health and risk of COVID-19 infection.

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The Neoliberal University in Ireland: Institutional Bullying by Another Name?

Societies ◽

10.3390/soc11020052 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 52

Author(s):

Margaret Hodgins ◽

Patricia Mannix McNamara

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Public Management ◽

New Public Management ◽

Academic Staff ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Decent Work ◽

New Public ◽

The Impact ◽

Health And Well Being

New managerialism and the pervasive neoliberalisation of universities is by now a well-established phenomenon. Commentaries explore the political and economic drivers and effects of neoliberal ideology, and critique the impact on higher education and academic work. The impact on the health and well-being of academic staff has had less attention, and it is to that we turn in this paper. Much academic interest in neoliberalism stems from the UK, Australia and the United States. We draw particularly on studies of public Irish universities, where neoliberalism, now well entrenched, but something of a late-comer to the new public management party, is making its presence felt. This conceptual paper explores the concept of neoliberalism in higher education, arguing that the policies and practices of new public management as exercised in universities are a form of bullying; what we term institutional bullying. The authors are researchers of workplace culture, workplace bullying and incivility. Irish universities are increasingly challenged in delivering the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles of decent work, i.e., dignity, equity, fair income and safe working conditions. They have become exposed in terms of gender imbalance in senior positions, precariat workforce, excessive workload and diminishing levels of control. Irish universities are suffering in terms of both the health and well-being of staff and organisational vibrancy. The authors conclude by cautioning against potential neoliberal intensification as universities grapple with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reviews neoliberalism in higher education and concludes with insight as to how the current pandemic could act as a necessary catalyst to stem the tide and ‘call out’ bullying at the institutional level.

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534 Food Insecurity and Sleep Health by Race/Ethnicity and Age Group in the United States

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab072.532 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. A211-A211

Author(s):

Nyree Riley ◽

Dana Alhasan ◽

W Braxton Jackson ◽

Chandra Jackson

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

The United States ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

High Food ◽

Short Sleep Duration ◽

Sleep Health ◽

Falling Asleep

Abstract Introduction Food insecurity may influence sleep through poor mental health (e.g., depression) and immune system suppression. Although prior studies have found food insecurity to be associated with poor sleep, few studies have investigated the food security-sleep association among racially/ethnically diverse participants and with multiple sleep dimensions. Methods Using National Health Interview Survey data, we examined overall, age-, sex/gender-, and racial/ethnic-specific associations between food insecurity and sleep health. Food security was categorized as very low, low, marginal, and high. Sleep duration was categorized as very short (<6 hours), short (<7 hours), recommended (7–9 hours), and long (≥9 hours). Sleep disturbances included trouble falling and staying asleep, insomnia symptoms, waking up feeling unrested, and using sleep medication (all ≥3 days/times in the previous week). Adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and other confounders, we used Poisson regression with robust variance to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for sleep dimensions by very low, low, and marginal vs. high food security. Results The 177,435 participants’ mean age was 47.2±0.1 years, 52.0% were women, 68.4% were Non-Hispanic (NH)-White. Among individuals reporting very low food security, 75.4% had an annual income of <$35,000 and 60.3% were ≥50 years old. After adjustment, very low vs. high food security was associated with a higher prevalence of very short (PR=2.61 [95%CI: 2.44–2.80]) and short (PR=1.66 [95% CI: 1.60–1.72]) sleep duration. Very low vs. high food security was associated with both trouble falling asleep (PR=2.21 [95% CI: 2.12–2.30]) and trouble staying asleep (PR=1.98 [95% CI: 1.91–2.06]). Very low vs. high food security was associated with higher prevalence of very short sleep duration among Asians (PR=3.64 [95% CI: 2.67–4.97]), Whites (PR=2.73 [95% CI: 2.50–2.99]), Blacks (PR=2.03 [95% CI: 1.80–2.31]), and Hispanic/Latinxs (PR=2.65 [95% CI: 2.30–3.07]). Conclusion Food insecurity was associated with poor sleep in a diverse sample of the US population. Support (if any):

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Measuring household food security: the global experience

Revista de Nutrição ◽

10.1590/s1415-52732008000700004 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 21 (suppl) ◽

pp. 27s-37s ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Hugo Melgar-Quinonez ◽

Michelle Hackett

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

The United States ◽

Household Food Security ◽

United States Department ◽

Department Of Agriculture ◽

Governmental Agencies ◽

Household Food ◽

Food Security Status ◽

New Research

Measuring household food insecurity represents a challenge due to the complexity and wide array of factors associated with this phenomenon. For over one decade, researchers and agencies throughout the world have been using and assessing the validity of variations of the United States Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Supplemental Module. Thanks to numerous studies of diverse design, size, and purpose, the Household Food Security Supplemental Module has shown its suitability to directly evaluate the perceptions of individuals on their food security status. In addition, challenges and limitations are becoming clearer and new research questions are emerging as the process advances. The purpose of this article is to describe the development, validation procedures, and use of the Household Food Security Supplemental Module in very diverse settings. The most common Household Food Security Supplemental Module related studies have been conducted using criterion validity, Rasch modeling and Cronbach-Alpha Coefficient. It is critical that researchers, policy makers, governmental and non-governmental agencies intensify their efforts to further develop tools that provide valid and reliable measures of food security in diverse population groups. Additional work is needed to synthesize a universally applicable tool able to capture the global human phenomenon of food insecurity.

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Examining the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Academic Performance: Implications for Diversity and Equity in Higher Education

Journal of College Student Retention Research Theory & Practice ◽

10.1177/15210251211053863 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152102512110538

Author(s):

Heather Mechler ◽

Kathryn Coakley ◽

Marygold Walsh-Dilley ◽

Sarita Cargas

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

United States ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Educational Equity ◽

The United States ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Drop Out ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Professional Students ◽

The Relationship

In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on the experience of food insecurity among students at higher education institutions. Most of the literature has focused on undergraduates in the eastern and midwestern regions of the United States. This cross-sectional study of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at a Minority Institution in the southwestern United States is the first of its kind to explore food insecurity among diverse students that also includes data on gender identity and sexual orientation. When holding other factors constant, food-insecure students were far more likely to fail or withdraw from a course or to drop out entirely. We explore the role that higher education can play in ensuring students’ basic needs and implications for educational equity.

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The Prevalence and Associated Characteristics of Food Insecurity Among U.S. Army Soldiers

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa043_046 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 195-195

Author(s):

Carolyn Greene ◽

Bethany Deschamps ◽

Brenda Bustillos

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Short Form ◽

Grey Literature ◽

The United States ◽

Study Data ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Army Soldiers ◽

Main Effects ◽

Female Soldiers

Abstract Objectives Food insecurity affects 11% of the United States (U.S.) population and leads to decrements in health and quality of life. Aside from grey literature, little is known about food insecurity among military personnel. The purpose of this study was to identify prevalence, gender discrepancies, and characteristics associated with food insecurity among U.S. Army soldiers. Investigators hypothesized that female soldiers who experience food insecurity will have higher body mass indices (BMI) than male soldiers, and that earning less income, being un-partnered, and having dependents while unmarried would be associated with food insecurity, irrespective of gender. Methods In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 218 soldiers using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module: Six Item Short Form and a demographics questionnaire. Independent samples T-test and Chi square determined differences between samples. Two-way analysis of variance assessed interaction and main effects of food insecurity and gender on BMI. Logistic regressions determined likelihood of food insecurity based on paygrade, gender, marital status, number of dependents, and barracks residence. Results Over 22% of the sampled population was food insecure. When compared to food secure individuals, food insecure soldiers were younger (23.6 vs. 26.6 years) and had fewer dependents (0.70 vs. 1.16). Food insecure women had higher BMIs (25.3 vs. 23.5 kg/m2). Barracks residency was associated with food insecurity (χ2 = 7.290, P = 0.007). Main effects were significant for gender on BMI (P = 0.001), but interaction effects for food insecurity on BMI were not (P = 0.16). Soldiers with the rank of Private (OR = 5.510, P = 0.029) and Specialist (OR = 5.750, P = 0.032) had increased likelihood of food insecurity compared to officers. Conclusions Female soldiers and barracks residents may be most affected by food insecurity, which may have health implications that could affect career advancement and retention. The potential impact of food insecurity on military readiness and resiliency indicates the phenomenon may pose a risk to national security. Funding Sources No funding was received to complete this study.

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428 Values and perception: communicating controversial issues in animal agriculture

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz258.144 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 69-70

Author(s):

Jessica Eise

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Animal Welfare ◽

Common Ground ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Extensive Literature ◽

Directional Bias ◽

Animal Agriculture ◽

Global Food Security ◽

Public Debates

Abstract Animal agriculture is an important component of global food security, with animal products serving as a foundational component of many American diets as well as playing a crucial role the sustainability of food production and environmental well-being. Yet animal welfare is one of the most contentious issues in the United States, producing heated, polarizing public debates. Meanwhile, national trends across all major issues demonstrate an increasing loss of common ground between political parties, with no indication of an imminent turnaround. The contentious nature of animal welfare and animal science public debates, as well as indications of increasing polarization across the nation, presents a worrisome dilemma in the face of a growing need to make meaningful societal progress around food security. Research has long demonstrated that contentious arguments, disdainful debates or reiteration of facts often backfire and cause people to double down on their beliefs, with extensive literature in psychology showing that humans are goal-directed information processors who tend to evaluate information with a directional bias toward reinforcing pre-existing views. In this article, I demonstrate how research on the role of values in risk perception can provide a helpful frame for building understanding between competing groups around contentious animal agriculture issues, inform more effective communication efforts and build potential for progress-oriented collaboration.

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The Relation Between Household Food Insecurity and Children's Height in Canada and the United States: A Scoping Review

Advances in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/advances/nmz034 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 1126-1137

Author(s):

Andrée-Anne Fafard St-Germain ◽

Arjumand Siddiqi

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

High Income ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Household Food ◽

Optimal Linear ◽

High Risk Populations ◽

Families With Children

ABSTRACT Household food insecurity is a determinant of health and marker of material deprivation. Although research has shown that food insecurity is associated with numerous adverse health, developmental and nutritional outcomes among children in high-income countries, little is known about its impact on children's height, an important marker of nutritional status and physical development. We reviewed evidence on the relation between experience-based measures of food insecurity and the height of children aged 0–18 y in Canada and the United States. The search, conducted in Embase, Medline, CINAHL, ProQuest, Web of Science, and EconLit from the inception of the databases to October 2017, identified 811 records that were screened for relevance. A total of 8 peer-reviewed studies, 2 from Canada and 6 from the United States, met the inclusion criteria and were summarized. Five studies found no association between food insecurity and children's height. One study found that having taller children in the household predicted more severe food insecurity, whereas 2 studies found that more severe experiences of food insecurity were associated with shorter height among children from ethnic minority populations. These results suggest that household food insecurity may not be associated with height inequalities among children in Canada and the United States, except perhaps in certain high-risk populations. However, the few studies identified for review provide insufficient evidence to determine whether food insecurity is or is not associated with children's height in these countries. Given the importance of optimal linear growth for current and future well-being, it is critical to understand how different modifiable environmental circumstances relate to children's height to help establish priorities for intervention. Families with children are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, and more research explicitly designed to examine the association between household food insecurity and children's height in high-income countries is needed.

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