Research

Adherence

Concurrent food insecurity is significantly associated with lower odds of frequent breakfast and evening meal consumption, unhealthy eating habits, and unhealthy physical activity habits in college freshmen.

If you are experiencing financial stress that affects your food access, it is likely impacting your daily habits like skipping meals or feeling less active. This is a common, structural response to resource scarcity, not a personal failure. Prioritize accessing campus food pantries or meal plans if available, as they directly address the immediate barrier to healthy eating and activity.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Concurrent food insecurity, however, was significantly associated with lower odds of frequent breakfast consumption (OR = 0.67, 99% CI = 0.46–0.99), frequent evening meal consumption (OR = 0.55, 99% CI = 0.36, 0.86), healthy eating habits on campus (OR = 0.68, 99% CI = 0.46, 1.00), and healthy PA habits on campus (OR = 0.66, 99% CI = 0.44, 1.00).
Meg Bruening et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2018

Why this rating

Longitudinal structural equation modeling with large sample size (n=1138) and adjustment for covariates, though self-reported measures introduce potential bias.

Source

Hungry to learn: the prevalence and effects of food insecurity on health behaviors and outcomes over time among a diverse sample of university freshmen

Meg Bruening et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2018

cohort · n=1138Cited 187×
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