Background: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered nationwide school closures in March 2020, putting millions of children in the United States who depended on subsidized school meals at risk of hunger. In response, the US Department of Agriculture activated the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program to provide…

Food insecurity has been identified as an understudied risk factor for weight-based stigma and discrimination. This study leverages data from 1,904 working-age adults to examine the food insecurity--weight-based discrimination relationship, as well as tests gender differences for this association. Logistic regression models revealed that food…

Objective: We examined the association between microaggressions, discrimination, and transgender students' experience of food insecurity (FI). Participants: Data were from the National College Health Assessment conducted 2019-2022. Of 334,957 participants, 8,618 were transgender. Methods: Descriptive statistics and mediation analyses were…

Background: Children residing in households with very low food sufficiency (VLFS), where there is "often" not enough to eat, are more likely to experience academic, health, and psychological challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a temporary universal free school meals (UFSM) policy was implemented, improving food access for children…

Objectives: This study explores whether the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the prevalence of food insecurity (FI) among US college students. Participants: College students (n = 489) enrolled at a Mid-Atlantic university. Methods: A mixed methods design was utilized for data collection and analysis through an electronic survey and semi-structured…

This report describes a One Health approach to address food insecurity among two distinct campus populations--college students and patients at a campus-based community health clinic serving Latine adults. The multidisciplinary collaboration includes college staff, faculty, and students, and the founders, both women-centered institutions. Organic…

Objective: To explore how university students' dietary intakes changed during COVID-19, and whether these changes differed by food security status. Participants: Six hundred students attending a New Jersey public university. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey asked about student intake. Food security status was measured using the 18-item US…

Community college students need access to comprehensive reproductive health care to support them in achieving both their educational and reproductive goals. This brief highlights barriers to contraceptive access among young people attending community college and outlines policies and programs that can support access. Drawing on data from a…

Objective: To examine the impact of the pandemic on a sample of college students, and test associations with food security and mental distress. Participants: A convenience sample of 132 students from a diverse U.S. institution. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that utilized online surveys. Data was analyzed using X[superscript 2], binary…

College students are more likely to be food insecure than the general population. CalFresh (SNAP) food benefits can reduce hunger by helping low-income students pay for their food. This is particularly relevant as the rising cost of food is putting extra strain on students' budgets. Unfortunately, the administrative hurdles and time required to…

Since 2022, the District of Columbia has invested in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund to achieve pay parity between early childhood educators and their K-12 counterparts. Research to date has shown that the fund has many benefits, such as increasing retention of qualified educators and improving the quality of care. Beginning in fiscal…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test whether COVID impact interacts with genetic risk (polygenic risk score/PRS) to predict alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms. Method: Participants were n = 455 college students (79.6% female, 51% European Ancestry/EA, 24% African Ancestry/AFR, 25% Americas Ancestry/AMER) from a longitudinal study…

Beneath the veneer of prestige and promise, a hidden issue pervades the campuses of America's selective universities. In "Starving the Dream," Nathan F. Alleman, Cara Cliburn Allen, and Sarah E. Madsen reveal the startling contradiction between the celebrated opportunities of these prestige-oriented institutions and the food insecurity…

Since the pandemic started, food insecurity has become a more serious issue for U.S. college students. The study goals were to evaluate whether pandemic-specific stress contributes to current food insecurity (as of February-March of 2022) and to determine which student characteristics are associated with food insecurity. We used the 2022 Spring…

Objectives: The paper explores how students' values and food choices change or adapt depending on the social environment and how students navigate the resulting tensions in food choices and practices when balancing nutrition against social and cultural preferences and sensory experiences. Design: The study analysed students' discussions about food…