“Hungry for an Education”: Prevalence  and Outcomes of Food Insecurity Among Students at a Primarily Undergraduate  University in Rural Nova Scotia

This paper reports on food insecurity among students attending a university in rural Nova Scotia. In 2015, 1,030 students completed an online, 38-item cross-sectional survey. The results report that 38.1% of students experienced food insecurity during the previous 12 months. Food insecurity was statistically associated with living arrangements, source of funds for schooling, meal plans, and year of study. Poor overall health, poor mental health, high stress, and poor academic performance were significantly higher for food-insecure students. Students employed multiple coping strategies, with implications for academic success and long-term debt. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes related to insufficient money for food: inability to cover basic needs, health-related outcomes of persistent worry, loss of time from learning, and impacts on social life. This research demonstrates the need to re-evaluate funding policies for post-secondary education in Canada to ensure students can afford the costs of basic needs and educational costs.

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“Hungry for an Education”: Prevalence and Outcomes of Food Insecurity Among Students at a Primarily Undergraduate University in Rural Nova Scotia

Canadian Journal of Higher Education ◽

10.7202/1057106ar ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 109-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lesley Frank

Keyword(s):

Academic Success ◽

Nova Scotia ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Living Arrangements ◽

Social Life ◽

High Stress ◽

Basic Needs ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional

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Understanding the Cumulative Burden of Basic Needs Insecurities: Associations With Health and Academic Achievement Among College Students

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/0890117120946210 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 089011712094621 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cindy W. Leung ◽

Sara Farooqui ◽

Julia A. Wolfson ◽

Alicia J. Cohen

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Academic Success ◽

Online Survey ◽

Basic Needs ◽

Well Being ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Grade Point ◽

Fair Poor

Purpose: Food insecurity is a concern on college campuses and is correlated with other basic needs insecurities. We examined the cumulative burden of food, financial, and housing insecurities on college students’ health and academic performance. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Large, public Midwestern university. Sample: A total of 793 college students completed an online survey in 2018 (43% response rate). Measures: Food, financial, and housing insecurity were measured using validated instruments. Primary outcomes were general health status, anxiety and depression, and grade point average (GPA). Analysis: Weighted linear and logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between cumulative basic needs insecurities and primary outcomes. Results: Approximately 11% of students experienced all 3 insecurities. Compared to fully secure students, students with all 3 insecurities were more likely to have anxiety and depression (odds ratio [OR] = 4.65, 95% CI: 4.31-5.01), fair/poor health (OR = 4.06, 95% CI: 3.73-4.42), and lower GPA (β = −0.19, 95% CI: −0.30 to −0.09), adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusion: Interventions that address multiple basic needs insecurities are needed to promote college students’ well-being and foster academic success.

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Socio-demographic characteristics, diet and health among food insecure UK adults: cross-sectional analysis of the International Food Policy Study

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980020000087 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (14) ◽

pp. 2602-2614 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Amy Yau ◽

Martin White ◽

David Hammond ◽

Christine White ◽

Jean Adams

Keyword(s):

Food Policy ◽

High Stress ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Demographic Characteristics ◽

Median Frequency ◽

Full Time ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Poor General Health ◽

Logistic Regression Models

AbstractObjective:To estimate food insecurity (FI) prevalence among UK adults and investigate associations with socio-demographic characteristics, diet and health.Design:Weighted cross-sectional survey data. FI was measured using the USDA Adult Food Security Survey Module. Data were analysed using adjusted logistic regression models.Setting:United Kingdom.Participants:2551 participants (aged 18–64 years); sub-sample (n 1949) used to investigate association between FI and overweight.Results:FI prevalence was 24·3 %. Higher odds of FI were observed among participants who reported that making ends meet was difficult v. easy (OR 19·76, 95 % CI 13·78, 28·34), were full-time students v. non-students (OR 3·23, 95 % CI 2·01, 5·18), had low v. high education (OR 2·30, 95 % CI 1·66, 3·17), were male v. female (OR 1·36, 95 % CI 1·01, 1·83) and reported their ethnicity as mixed (OR 2·32, 95 % CI 1·02, 5·27) and white other (OR 2·04, 95 % CI 1·04, 3·99) v. white British. Odds of FI were higher in participants living with children v. alone, especially in single-parent households (OR 2·10, 95 % CI 1·19, 3·70). Odds of FI decreased per year of increase in age (OR 0·95, 95 % CI 0·94, 0·96) and were lower in participants not looking for work v. full-time employed (OR 0·60, 95 % CI 0·42, 0·87). Food insecure v. food secure adults had lower odds of consuming fruits (OR 0·59, 95 % CI 0·47, 0·74) and vegetables (OR 0·68, 95 % CI 0·54, 0·86) above the median frequency, and higher odds for fruit juice (OR 1·39, 95 % CI 1·10, 1·75). Food insecure v. food secure adults had higher odds of reporting unhealthy diets (OR 1·65, 95 % CI 1·31, 2·10), poor general health, (OR 1·90, 95 % CI 1·50, 2·41), poor mental health (OR 2·10, 95 % CI 1·64, 2·69), high stress (OR 3·15, 95 % CI 2·42, 4·11) and overweight (OR 1·32, 95 % CI 1·00, 1·75).Conclusions:FI prevalence was high and varied by socio-demographic characteristics. FI was associated with poorer diet and health.

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Stress and Its Impact on Academic and Social Life of Undergraduate University Students in Ghana: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Open Education Studies ◽

10.1515/edu-2020-0100 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 37-44

Author(s):

Koawo Edjah ◽

Francis Ankomah ◽

Ebenezer Domey ◽

John Ekow Laryea

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation Modeling ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Social Life ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Survey Design ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Satisfaction Scale ◽

Cross Sectional

AbstractStress is concomitant with students’ life and can have a significant impact on their lives, and even how they go about their academic work. Globally, in every five visits by patients to the doctor, three are stress-related problems. This study examined stress and its impact on the academic and social life among students of a university in Ghana. The descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed. Using the stratified and simple random (random numbers) sampling methods, 500 regular undergraduate students were engaged in the study. A questionnaire made up of Perceived Stress Scale and Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale was used to gather data for the study. Frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), with AMOS were used for the analyses. It was found that majority of the students were moderately stressed. Paramount among the stressors were academic stressors, followed by institutional stressors, and external stressors. Stress had a significant positive impact on the academic and social life of students. It was concluded that undergraduate students, in one way or the other, go through some kind of stress during the course of their study. It was recommended that the university, through its Students’ Affairs, and Counselling Sections, continue to empower students on how to manage and deal with stress in order to enhance their academic life.

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Posttraumatic stress disorder correlates among internally displaced Yazidi population following Islamic state of Iraq and Syria attacks in Iraq

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-021-03299-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Perjan Hashim Taha ◽

Nezar Ismet Taib ◽

Hushyar Musa Sulaiman

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Health Planning ◽

Basic Needs ◽

Islamic State ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Internally Displaced ◽

Northern Iraq

Abstract Background In 2014, the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took over one-third of Iraq. This study measured the rate of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Iraqi Yazidi internally displaced persons (IDPs) and examined associated demographic and traumatic risk factors. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out in April–June 2015 at the Khanke camp, northern Iraq. Trauma exposure and PTSD were measured by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (Iraqi version). Results Of 814 adult Yazidi IDPs, 34% screened positive for PTSD. Avoidance and intrusion symptoms had the highest means (M = 3.16, SD = 0.86 and M = 2.63, SD = 0.59 respectively). Associated factors of PTSD included exposure to a high number of traumatic events, unmet basic needs and having witnessed the destruction of residential or religious areas (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.02–1.9 and OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.01–1.53 respectively). Being a widow was the only linked demographic factor (OR = 15.39, 95% CI: 3.02–78.39). Conclusions High traumatic exposure, specifically unmet basic needs and having witnessed destruction, was an important predictor of PTSD among Yazidi IDPs. These findings are important for mental health planning for IDPs in camps.

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Acute food insecurity and short-term coping strategies of urban and rural households of Bangladesh during the lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic of 2020: report of a cross-sectional survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043365 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. e043365

Author(s):

Subhasish Das ◽

Md. Golam Rasul ◽

Md Shabab Hossain ◽

Ar-Rafi Khan ◽

Md Ashraful Alam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Rural Households ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Food Insecure Households

IntroductionWe conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the extent and to identify the determinants of food insecurity and coping strategies in urban and rural households of Bangladesh during the month-long, COVID-19 lockdown period.SettingSelected urban and rural areas of Bangladesh.Participants106 urban and 106 rural households.Outcome variables and methodHousehold food insecurity status and the types of coping strategies were the outcome variables for the analyses. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were done to identify the determinants.ResultsWe found that around 90% of the households were suffering from different grades of food insecurity. Severe food insecurity was higher in urban (42%) than rural (15%) households. The rural households with mild/moderate food insecurity adopted either financial (27%) or both financial and food compromised (32%) coping strategies, but 61% of urban mild/moderate food insecure households applied both forms of coping strategies. Similarly, nearly 90% of severely food insecure households implemented both types of coping strategies. Living in poorest households was significantly associated (p value <0.05) with mild/moderate (regression coefficient, β: 15.13, 95% CI 14.43 to 15.82), and severe food insecurity (β: 16.28, 95% CI 15.58 to 16.97). The statistically significant (p <0.05) determinants of both food compromised and financial coping strategies were living in urban areas (β: 1.8, 95% CI 0.44 to 3.09), living in poorest (β: 2.7, 95% CI 1 to 4.45), poorer (β: 2.6, 95% CI 0.75 to 4.4) and even in the richer (β: 1.6, 95% CI 0.2 to 2.9) households and age of the respondent (β: 0.1, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.21).ConclusionBoth urban and rural households suffered from moderate to severe food insecurity during the month-long lockdown period in Bangladesh. But, poorest, poorer and even the richer households adopted different coping strategies that might result in long-term economic and nutritional consequences.

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Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Medical Students, interns and residents in Pakistan

10.53350/pjmhs211592333 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (9) ◽

pp. 2333-2336

Author(s):

Anum Arif ◽

Minahil Iram ◽

Sabih Nofal ◽

Aima Sohail ◽

Bismah Riaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Military Hospital ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevalence Of Depression ◽

Interns And Residents ◽

The Mean

Aim: To assess prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, Stress in medical students, interns, and residents in Pakistan Study design: Cross-sectional Survey (Questionnaire) based study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Lahore Medical College from March 2020 to May 2020. Results: 104 participants were included in the study. There was female predominance 58(55.8%), and the mean age was 23.55±1.42. The overall mean score of depression and anxiety was 21.2±12.67 and 15.7±10.67 respectively and most prevalent in third and fourth-year residents. The mean stress score was 13.7, 10. 27. Twenty-eight (26.9%) of the overall participants had extremely severe depression, 36 (34.6 %) had extremely severe anxiety and 13(12.5%) had severe stress. Doctors studying and practicing in the private sector have a higher DASS21 score (p = < 0.006) Conclusion: Multiple factors have been found to contribute to the poor mental health of health care workers, including financial trouble, sleep deprivation, abuse from colleagues, high expectations, female gender, broken relationships, and substance misuse. Keywords: Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Medical, Mental Health Problem Solving, Psychological Distress,

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Association between food insecurity and anemia among women of reproductive age

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.1945 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. e1945 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Bishwajit Ghose ◽

Shangfeng Tang ◽

Sanni Yaya ◽

Zhanchun Feng

Keyword(s):

Logistic Regression ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Hemoglobin Concentration ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Women Of Reproductive Age ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Wealth Status ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Household Food

Background:Food insecurity and hidden hunger (micronutrient deficiency) affect about two billion people globally. Household food insecurity (HFI) has been shown to be associated with one or multiple micronutrient (MMN) deficiencies among women and children. Chronic food insecurity leads to various deficiency disorders, among which anemia stands out as the most prevalent one. As a high malnutrition prevalent country, Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of anemia among all Asian countries. In this study, we wanted to investigate for any association exists between HFI and anemia among women of reproductive age in Bangladesh.Methodology:Information about demographics, socioeconomic and anemia status on 5,666 married women ageing between 13 and 40 years were collected from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS 2011). Food security was measured by the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Capillary hemoglobin concentration (Hb) measured by HemoCue® was used as the biomarker of anemia. Data were analysed using cross-tabulation, chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression methods.Results:Anemia prevalence was 41.7%. Logistic regression showed statistically significant association with anemia and type of residency (p = 0.459; OR = 0.953, 95%CI = 0.840–1.082), wealth status (Poorest: p < 0.001; OR = 1.369, 95%CI = 1.176–1.594; and average: p = 0.030; 95%CI = 1.017–1.398), educational attainment (p < 0.001; OR = 1.276, 95%CI = 1.132–1.439) and household food insecurity (p < 0.001; 95%CI = 1.348–1.830). Women who reported food insecurity were about 1.6 times more likely to suffer from anemia compared to their food secure counterparts.Conclusion:HFI is a significant predictor of anemia among women of reproductive age in Bangladesh. Programs targeting HFI could prove beneficial for anemia reduction strategies. Gender aspects of food and nutrition insecurity should be taken into consideration in designing national anemia prevention frameworks.

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Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Medical Students, interns and residents in Pakistan

10.53350/pjmhs211592215 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (9) ◽

pp. 2215-2218

Author(s):

Anum Arif ◽

Minahil Iram ◽

Sabih Nofal ◽

Aima Sohail ◽

Bismah Riaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Military Hospital ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevalence Of Depression ◽

Interns And Residents ◽

The Mean

Aim: To assess prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress in medical students, interns and residents in Pakistan Study design: Cross-sectional Survey (Questionnaire) based study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Lahore Medical College from March 2020 to May 2020. Results: 104 participants were included in the study. There was female predominance 58(55.8%), and the mean age was 23.55±1.42. The overall mean score of depression and anxiety was 21.2±12.67 and 15.7±10.67 respectively and most prevalent in third and fourth-year residents. The mean stress score was 13.7, 10. 27. Twenty-eight (26.9%) of the overall participants had extremely severe depression, 36 (34.6 %) had extremely severe anxiety and 13(12.5%) had severe stress. Conclusion: Multiple factors have been found to contribute to the poor mental health of health care workers, including financial trouble, sleep deprivation, abuse from colleagues, high expectations, female gender, broken relationships, and substance misuse. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in common in medical students. This calls for the development of strategies, workshops, and programs to identify modifiable stressors, encourage students to reach out to their family members and their teachers to verbalize their issues, and make psychiatric consultation accessible to them. Keywords: Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Medical, Mental Health Problem Solving, Psychological Distress,

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Magnitude of Child Food Insecurity, Its Association with Child Immunization and Huosehold wealth Status, and Coping Strategies In Dabat Demographic and Surveillance System North West Ethiopia

International Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1155/2020/3746354 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nigusie Birhan Tebeje ◽

Gashaw Andargie Biks ◽

Solomon Mekonnen Abebe ◽

Melike Endris Yesuf

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Coping Strategy ◽

Household Wealth ◽

Health Surveillance ◽

Child Health Service ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Wealth Status ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Surveillance Site

Background. The magnitude of food insecurity in Ethiopia ranges from 38.7% to 82.3% among the general population. Children under the age of five years were more prone to food insecurity and its serious consequences like anemia, low bone density, frequent episodes of common cold, stomachache, poor educational performance, and dental carries in developing countries like Ethiopia. However, there is no any research finding that documented the magnitude of child food insecurity, coping strategies, and associated factors in the study area. Therefore, the aim of this study was estimating the magnitude of child food insecurity, major coping strategies, and factors associated with child food insecurity in the study area. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional survey has been conducted in Dabat demographic and health surveillance site among 7152 mothers/caretakers of children under the age of five years. Data were collected by experienced data collectors working for the demographic and health surveillance site, and the collected data were entered into EpiData template and then transported to Stata 14 software for data cleaning and analysis. The ordinal logistic regression model was fitted to identify predictors for child food insecurity. Results. About 21.42% of children under the age of five years were food insecure in Dabat district of whom 57.8%, 38.6%, and 3.6% had experienced mild, moderate, and severe levels of child food insecurity, respectively. All most all 1391 (92%) of the mothers/caretakers of food insecure children had practiced food insecurity coping strategies. More than half (57%) of mothers/caretakers reduces the size of child meal as insecurity coping strategy. Child food insecurity was associated with household wealth status, parent’s education status, and maternal and child health service utilization and child feeding practices. Conclusion. A large segment of under-five children had experienced food insecurity in Dabat district, and the major coping strategy for child food insecurity was reducing meal size. Therefore, working on household wealth improvement and expansion of basic health services would improve child food security.

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