Characterizing Water Insecurity Among US College Students: Prevalence, Scope and Linkages With Food Insecurity

Food insecurity prevalence among US university students is higher than the national average, with minoritized and first-generation students disproportionately affected. Global and domestic US research has documented the link between food and water insecurity, though research on water insecurity-particularly on college campuses-remains nascent.

An exploratory study (n = 220) connecting measures of water insecurity, food insecurity, demographic/socioeconomic status, and water-related psycho-emotional outcomes in a sample from a large US public university. Tobit regressions were conducted for models using water insecurity scores as outcomes and ordered logistic regression models for psycho-emotional outcomes associated with water. To assess the relationship between economic stress, water quality concerns and purchasing two generalized structural equation models (GSEM) were conducted. Motivations for purchasing bottled water were elicited in an open-ended question.

College students are experiencing notable resource insecurity, with 43% reporting low to moderate rates of water insecurity and 31% reporting food insecurity, representing above-the-national-average levels of food insecurity. Importantly, students who were food insecure were significantly more likely to be water insecure. A third of students relied on bottled water, with and convenience and water quality concerns being the primary reasons. Economic stress predicted water insecurity scores, frequency of purchasing bottled water, water quality concerns, as well as psycho-emotional outcomes related to water.

These exploratory findings suggest a pattern of risk for water insecurity on university campuses that is potentially concerning and generally consistent with that already well described for food insecurity.