Food Insecurity Among College Students: An Assessment of Prevalence and Solutions

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/f7623d056

Abstract

This study examines the prevalence of food insecurity within the University of Colorado Boulder student population. Food insecurity can have consequences for physical and mental health. In order to address the prevalence of food insecurity on campus, I used an online survey to collect data to determine the level of food security of 339 respondents, along with a variety of demographic variables. I found that 54% of the respondents were food insecure. Students that received financial aid were the most likely to be food insecure. These results suggest that food insecurity is a problem for a large amount of students studying at CU Boulder. Food assistance programs for students could address this issue; respondents suggested three types of program that they reported would be useful to them: on-campus food assistance, on-campus education programs, and off-campus food and grocery assistance. My study leads me to recommend that CU should have staff on campus who are dedicated to helping students locate food assistance resources in the state, and CU should offer meal plan assistance that is based on financial aid.

Creator