Struggling with the basics: food and housing insecurity among college students across twenty-two colleges and universities

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the number and type of students failing to secure basic needs. PARTICIPANTS: Students attending 22 postsecondary schools in the United States in Fall 2019. METHODS: The Adult Food Security Module and part of the #RealCollege Survey were used to measure food and housing insecurity, respectively. Logistic and linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between selected factors and basic needs insecurities. RESULTS: = 22,153) were classified as 44.1% and 52.3% food insecure and housing insecure, respectively. Homeless students or those who experienced childhood food insecurity were at the greatest odds of college food insecurity. Year in school was the largest contributor to being housing insecure, with PhD or EdD students being 1,157% more likely to experience housing insecurity compared to freshmen. CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of basic needs insecurities remain. Current campus initiatives may be insufficient, calling for a more holistic approach at the campus, state, and national levels.