Food Insecurity and the impact on Education

FOOD INSECURITY AND THE IMPACT ON EDUCATION

Understanding Food Insecurity & Its Impact on Learning

Many people believe food insecurity can’t happen to them – but unfortunately, that’s never a guarantee. In 2017, a whopping 78% of full-time workers said they live paycheck to paycheck. Unfortunately, that might mean that in order to attend college, a student has to let some bills slide – including what they would like to spend at the grocery store. Check out these stats on food insecurity and higher education:

• In 2015,11.2%of students attending four-year colleges faced food insecurity; 13.5% of those in vocational schools faced it too.(Urban Institute)
• Studentsunder the age of 20 are less likely to face food insecurity, while those aged 30 or older were more likely to be hungry.(Urban Institute)
• 31%of households served by Feeding America must choose between food and education every year.(Feeding America)
• Approximately58,000students report that they are homeless on their FAFSA applications.(USA Today)

What is food insecurity?

According to Feeding America, food insecurity is “a federal measure of a household’s ability to provide enough food for every person in the household to have an active, healthy life.” Food insecurity is a measure of the various situations that can lead to hunger. It also allows for a solid way to investigate solutions.

Are college students really food insecure?

More than you might think. Though the numbers range a bit depending upon the source, a late 2017 study of more than 30,000 college students found that approximately half of two-year and four-year students are food insecure. In fact, at least one-third of two-year students are also housing insecure, while up to 14% are battling homelessness on top of hunger – and lack of housing goes hand-in-hand with food insecurity. The Still Hungry and Homeless in College study found that 36% of university students experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days, including situations where students cut the size of their portions or skipped meals due to lack of funds.

Who is more at risk of hunger in college?

Anyone can suffer from hunger, but there are some risk factors that make it more likely. Students suffering food insecurity are more likely to be of a minority background, suffered food insecurity as children, were enrolled in an undergraduate program and suspended their education at least briefly due to financial constraints. They were also more likely to seek out food resources on college campuses. Those who are food insecure reported often eating fast food, which aligns with studies that have found a higher rate of obesity among those who don’t have enough nutritious food available.

Why are so many college students experiencing food insecurity?

In addition to the risk factors listed above, we can’t ignore the fact that college tuition rates are at an all-time high, while financial aid has not kept pace with the rising costs. As a result, student loan debt has hit a record high. But even after using up all the available financial aid and taking out student loans, many college kids still have a sizable remaining balance to pay.

But those aren’t the only issues at play. The number of non-traditional college students – those who are older or have families and other obligations – is going up. More than one in four college students today have a child, which makes childcare costs a factor. Government assistance is sometimes tough to receive. Students must sometimes make the tough decision between paying rent or paying tuition, as they don’t have enough money for both – and the meal of the day quickly becomes the old college standby of Ramen noodles.

How might food insecurity hinder academic success?

Not getting enough to eat can have a dramatic effect on academics. Students who don’t get enough to eat might make lower grades, have lower test scores, and have a lower chance of graduating. Some studies have found a correlation between GPA and food insecurity; those who had a 3.1 GPA or higher were 60% less likely to suffer from food security. Those experiencing hunger were less likely to attend and perform well in class and were more likely to withdraw from courses.

Reference : https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/college-resource-center/college-food-insecurity-support/