Social support for food access and budget construction predict food insecurity among university sophomores.

Food insecurity means having limited or uncertain access to an adequate, nutritious, and safe diet. Rates among US college students range from 10% to 75%, and the problem is associated with mental and physical health disorders and unfavorable academic outcomes. This study examined the associations between the food security status of sophomores attending a university in the Southeastern US and their need for social support, food access behaviors, and budgeting knowledge.

Comparisons of Cooking, Dietary, and Food Safety Characteristics of Food Secure and Food Insecure Sophomores at a University in Appalachia.

Introduction: Food insecurity means lacking access to adequate, nutritious, and safe food. Collegiate food insecurity rates at ten Appalachian campuses range from 22.4% to 51.

A High Prevalence of Food Insecurity Among University Students in Appalachia Reflects a Need for Educational Interventions and Policy Advocacy.

Objectives: To measure prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among college students in Appalachia, compare food-insecure and food-secure students on correlates, and identify predictor variables.

Design: Cross-sectional, online questionnaire.

Setting: University in Appalachia.

Knowledge of healthy foods does not translate to healthy snack consumption among exercise science undergraduates.

This cross-sectional survey study compared the on- and off-campus snack choices and related correlates of convenience samples of exercise science (ES) ( n = 165, M = 45%, F = 55%) and non-exercise science (NES) ( n =160, M = 43%, F = 57%) undergraduates. The hypothesis posed was that knowledge of healthy foods will not translate to healthier snack consumption by the ES students, and that the snack choices and related correlates of ES and NES students will be similar. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires completed in classrooms (ES sample) and at high-traffic locations on-campus (NES sample).

Snacking Patterns and Snack Correlates in Third- and Fourth-Year Nursing and Dietetics Students: An Exploratory Study from the Midwestern United States.

Aims: To compare snacking behaviors and psychosocial correlates of third- and fourth-year nursing (n=52) and dietetics (n=48) students.

Methods: Questionnaires assessed snack choices, awareness of healthy snacks, snack recommendations and beliefs, stage of change and perceived benefits/barriers for healthy snacking, and situational snacking.

Results: The snacks purchased most often on and off campus by the nursing students were soft drinks/caffeinated beverages (58%) and chips (42%), and for the dietetics students were chips (35%) and fresh fruit (33%).