Dietary behaviors and food insecurity among Houston college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students' nutrition, including dietary behaviors and food security status. Participants: Participants included 140 students between 18 and 25 years of age, who were enrolled in a college or university in the greater Houston area. Methods: Analyses included descriptive statistics, t tests, and ANOVAs to analyze differences in dietary behaviors by demographic variables, and chi-square tests to assess characteristics associated with food security status. Results: The majority of participants reported changing their diets due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no significant differences by demographics. However, there were significant differences in food security status by race/ethnicity and social class. Conclusion: This study identified changes and disparities in college students' dietary behaviors and food security status during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings help inform future policy, programs, and research to address college students' nutrition during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; College students; dietary behaviors; food insecurity.