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Clusters of Sociodemographic Characteristics and Their Association with Food Insecurity in Mexican University Students.

ABSTRACT: Food insecurity (FI) expresses irregular access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. We analyze the association between clusters of sociodemographic characteristics and FI in university students from Mexico. The Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale was applied, and household type, socioeconomic status (SES), and the characteristics of the head of the household, among others, were asked in a cross-sectional study. We performed Two-Step cluster analysis and logistic regression models. We included 466 university students (72.5% women, 47% with FI). We identified three clusters; Cluster-1 (n = 163) included a single-parent (37.4%) or co-resident/roommate (27%) household type, middle SES (63.2%); the head of the household is usually a woman (76.1%), single (71.8%), and with bachelor's degree (41.7%) or less educational level (46.6%). Cluster-2 (n = 144) included the nuclear (89.6%) household type, high SES (76.4%); the head of the household is usually a man (79.2%), in a relationship (99.3%), and with a bachelor's degree (63.2%) or graduate level (33.3%). Cluster-3 (n = 147) is very similar to Cluster-2. The difference is that Cluster-3 includes middle SES (70.1%), and the head of the household's educational level is high school or less (100%). Only belonging to Cluster-1 was positively associated with FI (OR = 1.96, 95%CI: 1.24, 3.09). These results show the interrelationships between multiple sociodemographic characteristics and should contribute to developing interventions that simultaneously address numerous sociodemographic factors to diminish FI in university students.

SUBMITTER: Nava-Amante PA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11353896 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Clusters of Sociodemographic Characteristics and Their Association with Food Insecurity in Mexican University Students.

Nava-Amante Pablo Alejandro PA Betancourt-Núñez Alejandra A Díaz-López Andrés A Bernal-Orozco María Fernanda MF De la Cruz-Mosso Ulises U Márquez-Sandoval Fabiola F Vizmanos Barbara B

Foods (Basel, Switzerland) 20240810 16

Food insecurity (FI) expresses irregular access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. We analyze the association between clusters of sociodemographic characteristics and FI in university students from Mexico. The Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale was applied, and household type, socioeconomic status (SES), and the characteristics of the head of the household, among others, were asked in a cross-sectional study. We performed Two-Step cluster analysis and logistic regression mod ...[more]

PMID: 39200434

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Project description:BackgroundThe results of several recent campus-based studies indicate that over half of post-secondary students in Canada are food insecure, but the vulnerability of this group has not been considered in research on predictors of food insecurity in the Canadian population. Our objectives were to (1) compare the prevalence of food insecurity among post-secondary students and non-students of similar age; (2) examine the relationship between student status and food insecurity among young adults while accounting for sociodemographic characteristics; and (3) identify the sociodemographic characteristics associated with food insecurity among post-secondary students.MethodsUsing data from the 2018 Canadian Income Survey, we identified 11,679 young adults aged 19-30 and classified them into full-time postsecondary students, part-time post-secondary students, and non-students. Food insecurity over the past 12 months was assessed with the 10-item Adult Scale from the Household Food Security Survey Module. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds of food insecurity by student status while accounting for sociodemographic characteristics, and to identify sociodemographic characteristics predictive of food insecurity among post-secondary students.ResultsThe prevalence of food insecurity was 15.0% among full-time postsecondary students, 16.2% among part-time students, and 19.2% among non-students. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, full-time postsecondary students had 39% lower odds of being food insecure as compared to non-students (aOR 0.61, 95% CI 0.50-0.76). Among postsecondary students, those with children (aOR 1.93, 95%CI 1.10-3.40), those living in rented accommodation (aOR 1.60, 95%CI 1.08-2.37), and those in families reliant on social assistance (aOR 4.32, 95%CI 1.60-11.69) had higher adjusted odds of food insecurity, but having at least a Bachelor's degree appeared protective (aOR: 0.63, 95% CI 0.41-0.95). Every $5000 increase in adjusted after-tax family income was also associated with lower adjusted odds of food insecurity (aOR 0.88, 95%CI 0.84-0.92) among post-secondary students.ConclusionsIn this large, population-representative sample, we found that young adults who did not attend post-secondary school were more vulnerable to food insecurity, particularly severe food insecurity, than full-time post-secondary students in Canada. Our results highlight the need for research to identify effective policy interventions to reduce food insecurity among young, working-age adults in general.

Project description:BackgroundFood insecurity (FI) and poor health can turn into a vicious cycle with detrimental effects, especially in the elderly, however, few studies have examined the relationship between FI and health in this age group.ObjectivesWe investigated associations of FI with physical and mental health and health behaviors among community-dwelling elderly.MethodsWe used nationally representative, cross-sectional data from the 2014-2015 Israel National Health and Nutrition Survey of the Elderly (Rav Mabat Zahav) on FI, sociodemographic characteristics, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), disability, self-assessed physical, oral, and mental health for 1006 individuals aged ≥65 y.ResultsFI affected 12.3% of all households with elderly and was significantly higher among late immigrants and Arabs. Bivariate associations of FI with the number of NCDs, depression, disability in all 6 domains (vision, hearing, mobility, self-care, remembering, communication), poor self-assessed physical and oral health, chewing and swallowing problems, feelings of loneliness, insufficient physical activity, and smoking were significant (P < 0.05). In a multivariable logistic regression controlling for population group, household size, age and sex, FI was significantly associated (P < 0.05) with lack of formal education (OR: 6.26; 95% CI: 1.66, 23.65), being in the lowest (OR: 23.56; 95% CI: 3.71, 149.76) or second-lowest (OR: 16.75; 95% CI: 2.68, 104.52) per capita household income quartile, having one (OR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.05, 4.23) or several disabilities (OR: 4.04; 95% CI: 1.72, 9.45), and having ever been diagnosed with depression (OR: 3.34; 95% CI: 1.35, 8.28).ConclusionsFI is associated with physical and mental health problems, multiple disabilities, and loneliness among Israeli elderly. Providing income support could reduce FI, and subsidized congregate and home-delivered meal services could be expanded to meet the needs of elderly with disabilities and counter social isolation. Because low education, disability, and depression are particularly prevalent among the food insecure and vulnerable groups face language barriers, assistance with applications for these services should be increased.

Project description:The aim of the present study was two-fold: Firstly, to estimate the prevalence of psychological distress among international students at a Hungarian university two years after the COVID-19 outbreak; and secondly, to identify its demographic and socioeconomic factors, with special regard to the students' food-security status. A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was carried out from 27 March to 3 July 2022 among international students at the University of Debrecen. The questionnaire included information on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, food-security status (six-item United States Department of Agriculture Food Security Survey Module (USDA-FSSM)), and psychological distress (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21)). Bivariate analysis was conducted to examine the potential associations between demographic/socioeconomic factors and psychological distress. Additionally, multiple logistic regression was employed to further analyze these associations. Of 398 participants, 42.2%, 48.7%, and 29.4% reported mild to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. The ages 18-24 (AOR = 2.619; 95% CI: 1.206-5.689) and 25-29 (AOR = 2.663; 95% CI: 1.159-6.119), reporting a low perception of health status (AOR = 1.726; 95% CI: 1.081-2.755), and being food insecure (AOR = 1.984; 95% CI: 1.274-3.090) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Being female (AOR = 1.674; 95% CI: 1.090-2.571), reporting a low perception of health status (AOR = 1.736; 95% CI: 1.098-2.744), and being food insecure (AOR = 2.047; 95% CI: 1.327-3.157) were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, being female (AOR = 1.702; 95% CI: 1.026-2.824)), living with roommates (AOR = 1.977; 95% CI: 1.075-3.635), reporting a low perception of health status (AOR = 2.840; 95% CI: 1.678-4.807), and being food insecure (AOR = 2.295; 95% CI:1.398-3.767) were significantly associated with symptoms of stress. Psychosocial programs combined with strategies to alleviate food insecurity are required to enhance international students' mental health and well-being.

Project description:BackgroundFood insecurity, a state of not being able to consistently access nutritious food due to financial constraints, has been associated with poor dietary intake among college students. The extent to which campus food resources contribute to this association is unknown.ObjectivesThis study examined the association between food insecurity and dietary intake in a sample of undergraduate students with unlimited meal plans and dining hall access at a large, public Midwestern university.DesignThe study design is cross-sectional. The data used are baseline data from a broader sugar-sweetened beverage intervention study that were collected using a Qualtrics survey prior to the intervention.Participants/settingThe sample consisted of 1033 undergraduate students recruited from 3 dining halls. The data were collected in November 2018.Main outcome measuresFood security was assessed using the 6-item Short Form Food Security Survey Module. Dietary intake was assessed using the National Cancer Institute 26-item Dietary Screener Questionnaire and the Beverage Intake Questionnaire-15.Statistical analyses performedGeneralized linear regression models were used to examine differences in dietary intake by students' food security status, adjusting for students' sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsIn the sample, 14% of students were food-insecure. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, food-insecure students reported 9% lower intake of fruits (P = 0.02), 9% lower intake of vegetables (P < 0.001), 10% higher intake of dairy (P = 0.002), 6% higher intake of total added sugars (P = 0.01), 10% higher intake of added sugars from sugar-sweetened beverages (P = 0.01), 4% higher intake of calcium (P = 0.01), and 4% lower intake of fiber (P = 0.01) compared with food-secure students. With respect to beverage intake, food-insecure students had 56% higher intake of total sugar-sweetened beverages (P = 0.002), which was driven by 185% higher intake of energy and sports drinks (P = 0.001), and 121% higher intake of sweetened teas (P = 0.001).ConclusionsDespite having identical food resources within campus dining halls, there were significant differences in the diets of college students by food security status.

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Clusters of Sociodemographic Characteristics and Their Association with Food Insecurity in Mexican University Students.

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Clusters of Sociodemographic Characteristics and Their Association with Food Insecurity in Mexican University Students.

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