Combatting Food Insecurity on a Mid sized Public University Campus in the Midwest

Students and faculty at a rural university in Western Kansas took steps to decrease food insecurity in the campus population through the establishment of a campus garden and food pantry. Over a two-year period, the campus garden was relocated and expanded to provide easy access to faculty, staff, and students. The campus food pantry was enhanced to include cold and frozen foods and well as staple items. Survey results showed an increase in participation of both the garden and food pantry over the two-year period.

Download Full-text

Pilot testing an intervention to educate and promote nutritious choices at food pantries

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1007/s10389-021-01570-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah L. McKee ◽

Eminet Abebe Gurganus ◽

Abiodun T. Atoloye ◽

Ran Xu ◽

Katie Martin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Food System ◽

Saturated Fat ◽

Comparison Study ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Food Pantry ◽

Food Pantries ◽

Client Choice ◽

The Impact

Abstract Aim This study aimed to assess the impact of the Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) system on client food selections at a food pantry. Subject and methods In a pre–post comparison study design, a client-choice food pantry implemented SWAP by reorganizing its inventory to promote healthy options. Each product was ranked as “choose often” (green), “sometimes” (yellow), or “rarely” (red) based on saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. Signage was added to indicate each item’s SWAP rank and healthier foods were placed at eye level. Client food baskets were assessed at time 1 (n = 121) and time 2 (n = 101). The proportions of green and red foods selected were compared using regression analyses. Results The regression analyses showed that the proportion of green foods selected by clients increased by 11% (p < 0.001) and the proportion of red foods selected decreased by 7% (p < 0.001) after SWAP was implemented (n = 222). Conclusions SWAP has the potential to positively shift client choices among the items available in a food pantry setting. SWAP is one component of a suite of changes to the charitable food system that have the potential to alleviate food insecurity, improve diet quality, and assist clients in managing diet-related diseases.

Download Full-text

Food insecurity among Finnish private sector service workers and food pantry clients

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.1019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

M Erkkola ◽

L Uusitalo ◽

K Puputti ◽

T Saari ◽

P Jallinoja ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Private Sector ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Low Income ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Considerable Proportion ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Service Workers ◽

Food Pantry ◽

Sector Service

Abstract Background There is a paucity of comparable quantitative data on the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity in high-income countries. We applied the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) to assess food insecurity among i) the Service Union United members; female-dominated, low-income employees of the Finnish private service sector, and ii) a convenience sample of Finnish food pantry clients. Methods The HFIAS classification was based on 9 validated questions capturing respondents' perceptions on food scarcity and behavioural responses to food insecurity due to lack of resources during the past month. The resulting indicator categorized respondents as food secure, and mildly, moderately and severely food insecure. We performed cross-tabulations and regression models to assess if education, housing, self-perceived health, income, and resource scarcity associated with levels of food insecurity. In addition, gender, age, and self-perceived disadvantage were assessed among the food pantry clients. Results Among the service workers (n = 6 573, 6% of those invited), 35% were food secure, 29% mildly or moderately food insecure, and 36% severely food insecure. The respective proportions were 28%, 26%, and 46% among the 129 food pantry clients. All assessed variables were associated to food insecurity status in the service workers (p < 0.01 for all). Among the food pantry clients, men (OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.09 − 4.80) and homeless/tenants in community rental units (OR 7.12; 95% CI 2.42 − 20.95) were most likely to experience severe food insecurity. Conclusions Alongside the food pantry clients the majority of the service workers demonstrated some degree of food insecurity, with a considerable proportion being severely food-insecure. This predominantly low-income group is subject to rapid changes in the labour market and social security systems. The data demonstrated that well-known SES indicators and self-perceived health are linked to food insecurity. Key messages Severe food insecurity was common among predominantly low-income private sector service workers and food pantry clients. Food insecurity is linked to SES indicators and wellbeing.

Download Full-text

Food insecurity, nutrition knowledge, and cooking skills are barriers to healthy eating among food pantry users

The FASEB Journal ◽

10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.631.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 26 (S1) ◽

Author(s):

Robyn Nicole Hale ◽

Surbhi Chhabra ◽

Ashley Zipfel ◽

David H. Holben ◽

Lisa M. Vaughn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

Nutrition Knowledge ◽

Food Pantry ◽

Cooking Skills

Download Full-text

343: Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and a food pantry on food insecurity in a pediatric cystic fibrosis center

Journal of Cystic Fibrosis ◽

10.1016/s1569-1993(21)01767-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. S164-S165

Author(s):

H. Holzum ◽

K. Nelson ◽

J. Granneman ◽

J. Acton ◽

R. Nevel

Keyword(s):

Cystic Fibrosis ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Food Pantry

Download Full-text

No food for thought: Food insecurity is related to poor mental health and lower academic performance among students in California’s public university system

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/1359105318783028 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (12) ◽

pp. 1930-1939 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Suzanna M Martinez ◽

Edward A Frongillo ◽

Cindy Leung ◽

Lorrene Ritchie

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Academic Performance ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Grade Point Average ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Public University ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

University System ◽

Grade Point

This study examined the relationships between food insecurity, mental health, and academic performance among college students in a California public university system ( N = 8705). Structural equation modeling was performed to examine a direct path from food insecurity to student grade point average and an indirect path through mental health, controlling for demographic characteristics. Food insecurity was related to lower student grade point average directly and indirectly through poor mental health. These findings support the need for future interventions and policy on the importance of providing students with the basic needs to succeed both academically and in the future.

Download Full-text

Food Insecurity and Associated Health and Academic Measures Among College Students in Connecticut

American Journal of Health Studies ◽

10.47779/ajhs.2020.254 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Victoria A. Zigmont ◽

Abigail Linsmeier ◽

Peggy Gallup

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Public University ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Depression Diagnosis ◽

The Past ◽

Effective Interventions

This cross-sectional study explored the health and academic impacts of food insecurity among undergraduates at a public university. A representative campus-wide sample (n=792) found that roughly 30% of students were food insecure, based upon a single validated question about the student’s experience over the past year. Food insecure students had lower GPAs (3.09 vs. 3.25), a higher proportion had a depression diagnosis (22.4 vs. 14.3), and a higher proportion ate fewer than three servings of fruits and vegetables per day (14.4% vs. 7.3%) compared to food secure students. A marginally higher proportion of food insecure students had an anxiety diagnosis (22.8% vs. 14.3%) More research is needed to understand the extent and manifestation of food insecurity so effective interventions can be developed.

Download Full-text

Confronting the Present

In Search of a Future ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190124519.003.0004 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 79-94

Author(s):

Andrea Kölbel

Keyword(s):

Conceptual Understanding ◽

Spatial Dimension ◽

Public University ◽

University Campus ◽

The Public ◽

University Studies ◽

Social Pressures ◽

Made In

Chapter Four unpacks the decisions that students made in relation to their university studies. Drawing on the concept of ‘vital conjunctures’, it investigates to what extent students identified with somewhat stereotypical images projected onto the public university campus and explains how educated young Nepalis tried to negotiate numerous competing social pressures on an everyday basis. In an effort to comply with established notions of female and male respectability, the students made use of the campus in different and often unexpected ways. In shifting the focus of the analysis onto the reasons behind students’ absence from and presence on campus, the chapter calls attention to the spatial dimension of young people’s agency and, in so doing, advances our conceptual understanding of vital conjunctures of youth.

Download Full-text

Space Elevator

Commerce in Space - Advances in Electronic Commerce ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-624-2.ch016 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 312-331

Author(s):

Paul E. Nelson

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Cost Saving ◽

Science Fiction ◽

Low Cost ◽

Outer Space ◽

Daily Basis ◽

Easy Access ◽

The World ◽

Survey Results ◽

The Cost

Currently, transporting cargo into Outer Space is not only expensive, but a complicated and prolonged process. The Space Shuttles used today are inadequate, overused and obsolete. At this time, there are efforts all around the world to make Space more accessible. There have been many proposals to solve the Space transportation dilemma. One proposal is the creation of a Space Elevator. The Space Elevator would provide low-cost, easy access to Space by dramatically reducing the cost of sending cargo into Space. A $10-$100 per pound the Space Elevator would provide an astounding cost-saving compared to the tens of thousands of dollars per pound it costs today. This low-cost access to Space would make it possible to substantially increase the amount of cargo that could be sent into Space on a daily basis. The first part of this paper describes how the Space Elevator is expected to work, and the advantage of access to space via the SE versus using primarily rockets. A compendium of information from a variety of sources is included in order to explain how the Space Elevator would be designed, constructed, and how it could solve the problems of transporting cargo into Space easily, cheaply, and frequently. The Space Elevator is a relatively new topic in the area of realistic science concepts and was merely science fiction not too long ago. The Space Elevator (“SE”) concept has only been in the spotlight in the last five years due to the work of Dr. Bradley Edwards of Carbon Designs Inc. Acceptance of the SE will be a difficult task for many reasons. One of these is that most people do not know about the SE concept, and those who do, tend to have trouble believing it is possible to build. In order to determine the best way of integrating the SE concept into society, a survey was conducted at Darien High School. The survey included such topics as the naming of "The Space Elevator," and how best to get the younger generation interested in the idea. The second part of this paper describes how to utilize the survey results to further the SE concept.

Download Full-text