Position of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior: Food and Nutrition Insecurity Among College Students.

College students, particularly those from underserved communities with lower incomes, are at risk for food and nutrition insecurity. 1 de Brey C Musu L McFarland J et al. Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups. 228. 2018 Google Scholar ,2 MacDonald K. A review of the literature: the needs of nontraditional students in postsecondary education. Strategic Enrollment Mgmt Quarterly. 2018; 5: 159-164 Google Scholar Food insecurity is inconsistent access to foods, whereas nutrition insecurity is the inconsistent access and availability of foods for the maintenance of healthy bodies and support of disease prevention and management. Financial, social, food, and other resources for the current college student population have not met the needs of these students. 3 Garriott PO Nisle S. Stress, coping, and perceived academic goal progress in first-generation college students: the role of institutional supports. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. 2018; 11: 436-450 Google Scholar , 4 Freudenberg N Goldrick-Rab S Poppendieck J. College students and SNAP: the new face of food insecurity in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2019; 109: 1652-1658 Google Scholar , 5 Olfert MD Hagedorn-Hatfield RL Houghtaling B et al. Struggling with the basics: food and housing insecurity among college students across twenty-two colleges and universities. J Am Coll Health. 2021; : 1-12 Google Scholar Research has consistently found food insecurity prevalence estimates of 30% to 50% among college students, 6 Bruening M Argo K Payne-Sturges D Laska MN. The struggle is real: a systematic review of food insecurity on postsecondary education campuses. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2017; 117: 1767-1791 Google Scholar , 7 Nikolaus CJ An R Ellison B Nickols-Richardson SM. Food insecurity among college students in the United States: a scoping review. Adv Nutr. 2020; 11: 327-348 Google Scholar , 8 Abbey EL Brown M Karpinski C. Prevalence of food insecurity in the General College population and student-athletes: a review of the literature. Curr Nutr Rep. 2022; 11: 185-205 Google Scholar 3–5 times the national average, though these estimates and the rigor of the supporting research have varied widely. Although much of this position paper focuses on the US context, the literature supports similar experiences and outcomes from students in other Westernized and non-Westernized countries. 9 Shi Y Lukomskyj N Allman-Farinelli M. Food access, dietary acculturation, and food insecurity among international tertiary education students: a scoping review. Nutrition. 2021; 85111100 Google Scholar