Comparisons Of Nutrition And Budgeting Knowledge Of Food Secure And Food Insecure Sophomores At Appalachian State University

Food insecurity means limited access to safe, nutritious food that supports a healthy life. This problem is widespread among US college students, with rates from 14% to 59%. Previously the rate at Appalachian State University (AppState) was 46.2%. This descriptive, cross-sectional study measured the food security status, nutrition and budgeting knowledge, and budgeting behaviors of food secure (FS) and food insecure (FI) sophomores attending AppState during the spring 2019 semester, and identified associations between these variables. A random sample of 1,792 sophomores received electronic recruitment letters. Data were collected with an online questionnaire. Food security status was measured using the USDA ten-item Adult Food Security Survey Module (AFSSM), nutrition, and budgeting knowledge and budgeting behaviors were measured. Correlational analyses examined associations, and statistical significance was p < 0.05. Among the 222 sophomores, 119 (53.6%) were FS and 103 (46.4%) were FI. No significant correlations existed between AFSSM scores and nutrition (r= -0.071, p= 0.320) and budgeting knowledge (r= -0.06, p=0.404), or budgeting behaviors (r= -0.08, p=0.297). A significant positive correlation emerged between budgeting behaviors and knowledge (r=0.20, p=0.010). Interventions need to teach these FS and FI sophomores to identify low-cost nutritious foods, construct a monthly budget that anticipates food costs, and use money-saving practices to purchase healthy foods.