Table 1.
Responses to the ten-item US Adult Food Security Survey Module by food security status for college students from a large university in south-eastern USA in October and November 2016
| Marginal food security (n 1043) | Low food security (n 908) | Very low food security (n 164) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | %* | n | %* | n | %* | |
| In the past 12 months, I worried whether my food would run out before I got money to buy more | ||||||
| Never | 740 | 71·0 | 216 | 23·8 | 6 | 3·7 |
| Sometimes | 293 | 28·1 | 607 | 66·9 | 91 | 55·5 |
| Often | 10 | 1·0 | 85 | 9·4 | 67 | 40·9 |
| In the past 12 months, the food I bought just didn’t last, and I didn’t have money to get more | ||||||
| Never | 938 | 89·9 | 469 | 51·7 | 7 | 4·3 |
| Sometimes | 98 | 9·4 | 401 | 44·2 | 113 | 68·9 |
| Often | 7 | 0·7 | 38 | 4·2 | 44 | 26·8 |
| In the past 12 months, I couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals | ||||||
| Never | 420 | 40·3 | 143 | 15·8 | 4 | 2·4 |
| Sometimes | 574 | 55·0 | 582 | 64·1 | 68 | 41·5 |
| Often | 49 | 4·7 | 183 | 20·2 | 92 | 56·1 |
| In the last 12 months, did you ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food? | ||||||
| No | 902 | 86·5 | 161 | 17·7 | 0 | 0 |
| Yes | 141 | 13·5 | 747 | 82·3 | 164 | 100 |
| How often did you need to cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food? Please select the answer choice the BEST applies to you† | ||||||
| In only 1 or 2 months | 131 | 92·9 | 334 | 44·7 | 6 | 3·7 |
| Some months, but not every month | 9 | 6·4 | 304 | 40·7 | 87 | 53·1 |
| Almost every month | 1 | 0·7 | 109 | 14·6 | 71 | 43·3 |
| In the last 12 months, did you ever eat less than you thought you should because there wasn’t enough money for food? | ||||||
| No | 928 | 89·0 | 288 | 31·7 | 6 | 3·7 |
| Yes | 115 | 11·0 | 620 | 68·3 | 158 | 96·3 |
| In the last 12 months, were you ever hungry but didn’t eat because there wasn’t enough money for food? | ||||||
| No | 987 | 94·6 | 473 | 52·1 | 4 | 2·4 |
| Yes | 56 | 5·4 | 435 | 47·9 | 160 | 97·6 |
| In the last 12 months, did you lose weight because there wasn’t enough money for food? | ||||||
| No | 1032 | 99·0 | 758 | 83·5 | 20 | 12·2 |
| Yes | 11 | 1·1 | 150 | 16·5 | 144 | 87·8 |
| In the last 12 months, did you ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn’t enough money for food? | ||||||
| No | 1042 | 99·9 | 872 | 96·0 | 68 | 41·5 |
| Yes | 1 | 0·1 | 36 | 4·0 | 96 | 58·5 |
| In the last 12 months, how often did you not eat for a whole day because there wasn’t enough money for food?† | ||||||
| In only 1 or 2 months | 0 | 0·0 | 22 | 61·1 | 29 | 30·2 |
| Some months, but not every month | 1 | 100·0 | 10 | 27·8 | 43 | 44·8 |
| Almost every month | 0 | 0·0 | 4 | 11·1 | 24 | 25·0 |
*
Percentages may not add up to 100 % due to rounding.
†
Only includes respondents who answered affirmatively to the prior question.