Food Insecurity and Associated Factors Among University Students

Background: Food insecurity is a growing public health issue and a barrier to students achieving adequate nutrition. Data regarding food insecurity among university students in Nigeria are scarce.

Objective: The study assessed the prevalence of food insecurity and associated factors among university students, southeast Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 398 randomly selected students recruited from 2 universities in southeast Nigeria was conducted. Food security status was assessed using the 10-item US Household Food Security Scale Module. Anthropometric measurements and sociodemographic data were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with food insecurity.

Results: A majority of the students were categorized as food insecure. Of this, about 35.7% and 45.0% were considered to have low and very low food insecurity, respectively. Food insecurity was significantly associated with monthly allowance, daily amount spent on food, and source of income. The odds of food insecurity was significantly higher for students whose fathers were farmers (4.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.453-14.737), but lower for those whose mothers were farmers (0.18, 95% CI: 0.059-0.564).

Conclusion: The result provides an insight into the food security status of university students in Nigeria. The prevalence of food insecurity was high among the students. Therefore, further studies involving different urban and rural (and/or public and private) universities in Nigeria are suggested in order to have a deeper understanding of the magnitude and contributing factors among this population group.