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Are estimates of food insecurity among college students accurate? Comparison of assessment protocols

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  • Cassandra J Nikolaus
  • Brenna Ellison
  • Sharon M Nickols-Richardson

Abstract

A growing body of literature suggests that post-secondary students experience food insecurity (FI) at greater rates than the general population. However, these rates vary dramatically across institutions and studies. FI assessment methods commonly used in studies with college students have not been scrutinized for psychometric properties, and varying protocols may influence resulting FI prevalence estimates. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of standard food security assessment protocols and to evaluate their agreement as well as the relative accuracy of these protocols in identifying student FI. A randomized sample of 4,000 undergraduate students were invited to participate in an online survey (Qualtrics, LLC, Provo, Utah, USA) that evaluated sociodemographic characteristics and FI with the 2-item food sufficiency screener and the 10-item USDA Adult Food Security Survey Module (FSSM; containing the abbreviated 6-item module). Four hundred sixty-two eligible responses were included in the final sample. The psychometric analysis revealed inconsistencies in college student response patterns on the FSSM when compared to national evaluations. Agreement between FI protocols was generally high (>90%) but was lessened when compared with a protocol that incorporated the 2-item screener. The 10-item FSSM with the 2-item screener had the best model fit (McFadden’s R2 = 0.15 and Bayesian Information Criterion = -2049.72) and emerged as the tool providing the greatest relative accuracy for identifying students with FI. Though the 10-item FSSM and 2-item screener yields the most accuracy in this sample, it is unknown why students respond to FSSM items differently than the general population. Further qualitative and quantitative evaluations are needed to determine which assessment protocol is the most valid and reliable for use in accurately identifying FI in post-secondary students across the U.S.

Suggested Citation

  • Cassandra J Nikolaus & Brenna Ellison & Sharon M Nickols-Richardson, 2019. "Are estimates of food insecurity among college students accurate? Comparison of assessment protocols," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0215161
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215161
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Craig Gundersen, 2021. "Are College Students More Likely to Be Food Insecure than Nonstudents of Similar Ages?," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(4), pages 1476-1486, December.
    2. Sunjin Ahn & Travis A. Smith & F. Bailey Norwood, 2020. "Can Internet Surveys Mimic Food Insecurity Rates Published by the US Government?," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(2), pages 187-204, June.
    3. Ellison, Brenna & Bruening, Meg & Hruschka, Daniel J. & Nikolaus, Cassandra J. & van Woerden, Irene & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Nickols-Richardson, Sharon M., 2021. "Viewpoint: Food insecurity among college students: A case for consistent and comparable measurement," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    4. Daniel A. Collier & Dan Fitzpatrick & Chelsea Brehm & Keith Hearit & Andrea Beach, 2020. "Structuring First-Year Retention at a Regional Public Institution: Validating and Refining the Structure of Bowman’s SEM Analysis," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 61(8), pages 917-942, December.
    5. Maggie Dickinson, 2022. "SNAP, campus food insecurity, and the politics of deservingness," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(2), pages 605-616, June.

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