Prevalence and predictors of food insecurity among university students - Results from the Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
Maike Kötzsche, Ramona Teuber, Irmgard Jordan, Eleonore Heil, Liv E Torheim, Marta Arroyo-Izaga
Author Information
Maike Kötzsche: Justus Liebig University Giessen, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Management, Chair of Agricultural and Food Market Analysis, Senckenbergstraße 3, 35390 Giessen, Germany.
Ramona Teuber: Justus Liebig University Giessen, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Management, Chair of Agricultural and Food Market Analysis, Senckenbergstraße 3, 35390 Giessen, Germany.
Irmgard Jordan: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Food Environment and Consumer Behaviour, Africa Hub, P.O. Box 823-00621, Nairobi, Kenya.
Eleonore Heil: Justus Liebig University Giessen, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Management, Working group of Nutrition Ecology, Senckenbergstraße 3, 35390 Giessen, Germany.
Liv E Torheim: Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, 0130 Oslo, Norway.
Marta Arroyo-Izaga: University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Department of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, BIOMICs Research Group, Microfluidics & BIOMICs Cluster, Bioaraba, BA04.03, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of food insecurity (FI) among university students in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional study ( = 626) between November and December 2021 at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, using an online questionnaire. The analysis of FI was based on the food insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). We statistically validated our data using the Rasch model. Moreover, demographic, socio-economic and educational variables were collected using a questionnaire developed by the food insecurity among European University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic (FINESCOP) consortium. Overall, 27.5 % of the university students are food insecure. The proportion of university students experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity (FI) is 10.4 % and the proportion experiencing severe food insecurity (FI) 0.9 %. Results from a logistic regression showed that students have a higher chance to be food insecure if they were not born in Europe and if their parents have a secondary or lower educational level. We further found an association between age and FI. Also receiving a student loan during the pandemic and getting food assistance increased the likelihood of being food insecure. Our results show that FI is prevalent among this particularly vulnerable population group. Thus, public health, as well as policy efforts may need to become more target group-specific in accordance with the identified circumstances and specific characteristics to avoid that university students suffer from FI.
