Food insecurity, psychosocial health and academic performance among college and university students in Georgia, USA

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Ilana G. Raskind, Emory University; Regine Haardorfer, Emory University; Carla Berg, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-03-01
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP): PDF allowed
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © The Authors 2019.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018003439
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Public Health Nutrition
• ISSN: 1368-9800
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: 476
• End Page: 485
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute (1R01CA179422–01; PI: Berg).; Ms. Raskind was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Predoctoral T32 Multidisciplinary Research Training to Reduce Inequities in Cardiovascular Health (5T32HL130025).
• Keywords: Academic performance; SECURITY; College and university students; EDUCATION; Science & Technology; LIFE-COURSE APPROACH; Food insecurity; ASSOCIATION; MENTAL-HEALTH; ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; DEPRESSION; Nutrition & Dietetics; Psychosocial health; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; MALTREATMENT; VALIDATION; PREVALENCE
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Nutrition; Sociology, Individual and Family Studies

Abstract

Objective To examine whether psychosocial health mediates the association between food insecurity and grade point average (GPA) among college and university students.Design Data for the present study are from a longitudinal cohort study. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the proposed mediation hypothesis. Food insecurity was measured using the US Department of Agriculture's Six-Item Short Form. Psychosocial health was operationalized as a latent factor with three indicators: depression, anxiety and hope. Validated scales were used to measure each indicator. GPA was self-reported.Setting Seven colleges and universities in Georgia, USA.Participants Students aged 18-25 years were recruited via email and surveyed every four months over a two-year period (analytic n 2377).Results Approximately 29 % of students were food insecure. In the final SEM, food insecurity was associated (standardized β, se) with poorer psychosocial health (0·22, 0·03, P<0·0001) and poorer psychosocial health was associated with a lower GPA (-0·21, 0·03, P<0·0001). The indirect effect of food security status on GPA, as mediated by psychosocial health, was significant (-0·05, 0·01, P<0·0001) and accounted for 73 % of the total effect. After accounting for psychosocial health, the direct effect of food security status on GPA was not significant (-0·02, 0·02, P=0·43).Conclusions Psychosocial health may be an important mechanism through which food insecurity affects academic performance among college and university students. Multicomponent interventions that address immediate food security needs as well as co-occurring mental health and academic concerns are needed to ensure student success.