A Comparison of Food Insecurity in University Students with A Discussion Among University of Wisconsin-Stout Students

Abstract

Food insecurity is found at large throughout the world, yet many are not aware of the impact it has in their own neighborhoods. Many populations are affected; however, the severity has not been extensively studied or determined within the university student population. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship of food insecurity between university students. This study explores three objectives: 1) identify the prevalence of food insecurity in University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout) students pre-COVID-19 (2017) and during COVID-19 (2022), 2) determine the relationship between food insecurity prevalence and race/ethnicity, specifically in White or students of color, and 3) find the correlation between GPA status and food security among UW-Stout students. Two samples of UW-Stout students were collected in 2017 (n = 253) and 2022 (n = 244) from an online Qualtrics survey. Pearson Correlation and independent t-tests were performed to elucidate the information on food insecurity. The results found no significant findings of food insecurity prevalence between 2017 and 2022, race/ethnicity, and GPA status. Regardless of no significant results, there is a high prevalence of food insecurity present at UW-Stout. Future research is warranted in university students to continue to reveal the relationships between food insecurity and identifiable factors. Therefore, future research should focus on university students including a potential to assess pre-, during, and post-COVID-19 information, assess larger and more diverse populations, and specify GPA or GPA ranges that may be related to food insecurity.