Prevalence And Correlates Of Medical And Learning Disorders Among Food Insecure Students At Appalachian State University

Rates of food insecurity (FI) and correlates were compared among Appalachian State University students with and without medical and learning disorders. An online questionnaire measured FI using the USDA Adult Food Security Survey, coping strategies and perceived barriers for food access, academic progress, and identified disorders. Descriptive and inferential procedures were computed. Statistical significance was p<0.05. FI students comprised 56.5% of the sample. Two-thirds of FI students had one or more medical and/or learning disorders. Coping strategies for students with and without disorders, respectively, included “brought food back to school” (90.9% vs. 63.0%) and “ate less healthy food to eat more” (77.7% vs. 49.4%). FI students with disorders had significantly more medical expenses (p < 0.01), and their barriers for food access included “feel overwhelmed making food choices” (12.7%) and “meal plan runs out” (10.2%). FI correlates for students with disorders included female gender, employed, off-campus residence, receiving financial aid, “good/excellent” perceived health, greater use of coping strategies and more perceived barriers, and suboptimal academic progress, all p < 0.05. Findings indicate a need for continued efforts to facilitate food access by FI students, especially for those with disorders.