Food insecurity in college students: a qualitative exploration of the multiple domains

To help address student basic needs, universities may benefit from screening students using a tool that captures multiple food insecurity domains. The purpose of this study is to explore college students' experiences related to the various domains of food insecurity (quantitative, qualitative, social, and psychological). This qualitative research was conducted at a Midwestern public research university through semi-structured interviews with embedded surveys that measured food insecurity. 23 undergraduate and graduate students participated. Three major themes emerged from the interviews. First, students were consistently spending time and energy navigating ways to secure their next meal, which was reflected through experiences in all four domains (quantitative, qualitative, social, and psychological). Second, differences in resource restrictions and accessibility influenced the consistency and amount of food accessible to student which impacted quantity of food received, held psychological consequences for students, and affected decisions they made socially. Finally, students felt the quality of food available to them negatively impacted their health both short- and long-term which was related to negative psychological consequences such as added stress and anxiety. Widely used tools such as the USDA 10-item screener mainly capture the quantity of food available and more extreme forms of food insecurity. However, as seen in the interviews, many students may still be experiencing varying levels of food insecurity and barriers (i.e. social stigma) related to the qualitative, social, and psychological domains.