College students with disabilities report higher rates of food insecurity

Abstract

Background: Increased risk of food insecurity has been reported among both college students and persons with disabilities; however, food insecurity among college students with disabilities has not been explored.

Objective: This article aims to characterize the prevalence of food insecurity among college students with and without disabilities at a northeastern university.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected between 2018 and 2020at a public northeastern university as part of the ongoing College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey. An online survey collected self-reported data, including food security and disability status. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses examined the differences in food insecurity among college students with and without disabilities.

Results: The sample (n = 880) was 61.6% female, predominately white (94.5%), and had a mean age of 19 ± 1.2 years. One out of eight participants (13.3%) reported a disability. Low or very low food security (13.3% and 5.5% respectively) was reported in one out of five participants, while 81.4% reported high or marginal food security (67.6% and 13.8%, respectively). Participants with a disability were more than twice as likely to report food insecurity than those without a disability (35.9% vs. 16.0%, p < 0.001). Among participants with a disability, 12.8% reported very low food security and 23.1% reported low food security, compared to 4.3% and 11.7%, respectively, among those students without disabilities (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: College students with disabilities experienced disproportionally higher rates of food insecurity than students without disabilities. Further research in diverse institutions can help to better understand and develop targeted supports for this vulnerable segment of the college population.

Keywords: College; Disability; Food insecurity; Student.