Food insecurity among university students in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic

Food insecurity is a global challenge, with university students identified as a population at elevated risk. Although research on food insecurity among university students has increased, most studies have been conducted in the United States. Evidence from Europe remains limited, and differences in measurement approaches restrict comparability across studies and countries. Against this background, this cumulative dissertation aimed to assess the prevalence of food insecurity among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic, identify demographic, socio-economic, and educational characteristics associated with food insecurity, and examine associations with academic performance, health outcomes, and lifestyle behaviours.
The dissertation comprises three scientific articles based on data from the international research project Food Insecurity among European University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic (FINESCOP). Data were collected through a multi-site, cross-sectional online survey at nine universities in nine countries. The first two articles analysed data from the Justus Liebig University (JLU) Giessen, while the third provided a cross-national analysis of data from all participating universities. Food insecurity was assessed using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). FIES data were analysed using the Rasch model, and the equating procedure developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was applied to derive internationally comparable prevalence estimates. FIES raw-score classifications were used for regression analyses and group comparisons.
The cross-national analysis (n = 3,250) revealed substantial variation in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity across the participating universities, ranging from 3.1% to 32.1%. At seven of the eight universities for which national comparison data were available, prevalence estimates exceeded those of the respective national populations. Both the institution-specific analysis at the JLU Giessen and the cross-national analysis identified being born outside Europe, lower parental educational attainment, reliance on student loans, and receipt of food assistance as characteristics associated with higher odds of food insecurity. The analysis of academic, health, and lifestyle outcomes at the JLU Giessen showed that food insecure students more frequently reported negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their academic/ research progression than food secure students. They also reported poorer physical and psychological health, lower sleep quality, and greater declines in physical activity. In addition, food insecure students exhibited greater instability in food intake and more pronounced changes in the consumption of specific food groups during the pandemic. Some differences between food secure and food insecure students were already present before the pandemic and became more pronounced during the pandemic.
The findings demonstrate that food insecurity was present across all participating universities, with considerable variation in prevalence between university contexts. Food insecurity was socially patterned and associated with less favourable academic, health, and lifestyle outcomes. The cross-sectional design and non-representative samples preclude causal conclusions and limit the generalisability of the findings beyond the participating university contexts. Overall, this dissertation provides harmonised cross-national evidence on food insecurity among university students and highlights its relevance as a challenge at the intersection of public health, social inequality, and higher education.