Food Insecurity on College Campuses
We have all heard the college student stereotypes of surviving solely off instant noodles, but as the cost of tuition keeps rising, it is increasingly becoming harder for students to stay afloat. Not only is this detrimental for students' health but also a research study done by Johns Hopkins University found that students who lacked consistent access to enough food were 43 percent less likely to graduate than their food secure peers (Fu, 2021).
To help combat this growing problem many schools such as Slippery Rock University have established food pantries. SRU established their first food pantry in 2018 after a survey conducted by SGA reported that nearly 40 percent of SRU students have experience either not knowing when they will have access to food or are aware of fellow students who have been insecure about accessing food.
To gain an even better understanding of this pressing issue in our area, a study done by the University of Pittsburgh surveyed 6,222 students from 11 different colleges and universities in Western Pennsylvania about their food insecurity. Below is the percentage of students surveyed at each school who reported having high food insecurity.
To get more in depth, the study asked students “Which describes the kind of food you have eaten in the past year?” From this question students were able to pick from 4 possible answers about the amount and quality of their food.
The survey also asked for the students' knowledge about food pantries and if they would personally go to one. Only 30% reported knowing were they could find a local food pantry and 75% reported that they would use a pantry if one were available.
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