2. OUR PROJECT
We studied the association between
food insecurity among undergraduate
students at Indiana University and
their GPA.
Our hypothesis: there exists an
association between food insecurity
and academic performance
3. WHY STUDY FOOD INSECURITY?
47% of 4-year college
students are food
insecure
10.5% of the population (1 in 10
households) are food insecure
COLLEGE STUDENTS GENERAL POPULATION
4. OUR QUESTIONS
FOOD ASSISTANCE SOLUTIONS
Is food assistance
readily available and
easily accessible?
What can be done to
combat food
insecurity at IU?
INDIRECT EFFECTS
What other effects caused
by food insecurity could
be leading to GPA
differences?
5. There is a lot of data concluding that lower food security leads to poorer psychosocial health, lower
GPA and unhealthy coping mechanisms. There is a gap in the data on possible solutions to this
problem.
● Longitudinal study conducted in Georgia
○ 29% of students were food insecure
○ Food insecurity is associated with poorer psychosocial health leading to poorer GPA
(Raskind et al., 2019)
○ Concluded that lower GPA is due to poor psychosocial health resulting from food
insecurity, not food insecurity itself
● Longitudinal study conducted at University of Kentucky
○ 43% of respondents showed some level of food insecurity (Hege et al., 2021).
○ Found food insecure individuals 6x more likely to have a lower GPA
○ Students found it harder to focus on academics
● University in southeastern U.S.
○ Students with lower food security more likely to engage in obesogenic coping behaviors
(Huelskamp et al., 2019).
BACKGROUND
6. METHODS OVERVIEW
● Anonymous survey on Google Forms
● Multiple choice questions
○ Six-Item Food Insecurity Questionnaire
○ GPA
○ Utilization of food assistance programs
○ Sex and Age
● Open ended questions (Optional)
7. METHODS CONTINUED
● Sample size goal: 100-150 students
with an equal distribution of sexes
● Distribution
○ Social media
○ Group chats
○ Word of mouth
● Chi-Squared Test
9. MAJORS
STEM BUSINESS
Life Sciences 29
Human Biology 28
Chemistry 4
Engineering 2
Math 2
Informatics/compsci 4
Psychology 8
Political Science 1
Business/Finance 25
MISCELLANEOUS
Public Health 11
Media 6
Education 3
Social Work 1
MAJORS WITH THE MOST
FOOD INSECURE STUDENTS
Human Biology 6
Psychology 5
Sports Media/Advertising 5
HUMANITIES
Music 12
Int Studies/Language 10
History 1
Philosophy 1
12. Raw Scoring
0 = High Food Security
1 = Marginal Food Security
2 - 4 = Low Food Security
5 - 6 = Very Low Food Security
Number of Affirmative Responses (“Often,” “Sometimes,” “Yes,” etc.)
13. The food that (I/we) bought just didn’t last, and (I/we) didn’t have money to get more.”
Was that often, sometimes, or never true for (you/your household) in the last 12
months?
OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
5.2% 18.7% 76.1%
14. Scoring Results
Raw Scores
0 = High Food
Security
1 = Marginal Food
Security
2 - 4 = Low Food
Security
5 - 6 = Very Low Food
Security
16. Percent of people in a
category who are food
secure
Percent of people in a
category who are food
insecure
RESULTS
Graph analysis here
FOOD SECURE
FOOD INSECURE
19. Discussion: Psychosocial Health
● 29% of students were food insecure
insecurity was associated with poorer psychosocial
health which was associated with a lower GPA (Raskind
et al., 2019).
● stress of being food insecure, sadness, hopelessness,
frustration at the university, academic performance,
physical/mental manifestations. (Meza et al., 2019)
● less likely to reach out to their professors for academic
support
higher difficulty focusing on academics
6 times more likely to have a lower GPA (Hege et al.,
2021).
“Sometimes If I neglect eating
for long enough, my focus on
schoolwork does drop off.“
“Sometimes if I don’t have
enough food and I’m
hungry, it’ll make my body
tired and dizzy, disabling
me from doing work.”
“It’s really hard to focus or
actually complete a task.
Also, I can't sleep, so then
it’s really hard to wake up.”
Literature
20. Study Limitations
6 question survey -> experiences over the last 12 months
● BUT, GPA is cumulative for academic performance over several years.
● Extended winter break and campus regulations
● Covid impact (people may be more food insecure from the pandemic.
Losing job, etc.)
SO, Data may not be completely representative of the individual
food security status of students when they are at school.
21. Further Directions
● Research solutions to increase undergraduate food security
status
○ Why are current programs not working or being used?
● Develop new programs/resources to make food more accessible
and culturally appropriate
○ e.g. Meal point donation system
22. RESOURCES
Hege, A., Stephenson, T., Pennell, M., Revlett, B., VanMeter, C., Stahl, D., Oo, K., Bressler, J., & Crosby, C. (2021). College
food insecurity: implications on student success and applications for future practice. Journal of Student Affairs
Research & Practice, 58(1), 44–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2020.1726359
Huelskamp, A., Waity, J., & Russell, J. (2019). Effects of campus food insecurity on obesogenic behaviors in college
students. Journal of American College Health:1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1684298
Meza, A., Altman, E., Martinez, S., & Leung, C. W. (2019). "It's a feeling that one is not worth food": a qualitative study
exploring the psychosocial experience and academic consequences of food insecurity among college students.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 119(10), 1713–1721.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2018.09.006
Raskind, I. G., Haardörfer, R., & Berg, C. J. (2019). Food insecurity, psychosocial health and academic performance among
college and university students in Georgia, USA. Public health nutrition, 22(3), 476–485.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018003439.
23. “(I/we) couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals.” Was that often, sometimes, or
never true for (you/your household) in the last 12 months?
OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
6% 15.7% 78.4%
24. In the last 12 months, since last March, did you (or other adults in your household)
ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn't enough money
for food?
YES NO
11.9% 88.1%
25. If you answered YES above, how often did this happen—almost every
month, some months but not every month, or in only 1 or 2 months?
ALMOST EVERY
MONTH
SOME MONTHS
BUT NOT EVERY
MONTH
ONLY ONE OR
TWO MONTHS
25% 40% 35%
26. In the last 12 months, did you ever eat less than you felt you
should because there wasn't enough money for food?
YES NO
15.7% 84.3%
27. In the last 12 months, were you every hungry but didn't eat
because there wasn't enough money for food?
YES NO
12.8% 87.2%
