Table 2.
Bivariate analyses of food security status with demographic, financial and academic factors* among college students at a large public university system in the Southeast USA (n 4842), 2017
| Total sample | Very low food security | Low food security | Marginal food security | High food security | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | n or Mean | % or sd | n or Mean | % or sd | n or Mean | % or sd | n or Mean | % or sd | n or Mean | % or sd | χ 2 | P value |
| Food insecure before college | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 921 | 19·9 | 413 | 45·4 | 220 | 30·1 | 172 | 16·8 | 116 | 5·9 | 665·82 | <0·001 |
| No | 3710 | 80·1 | 497 | 54·6 | 512 | 69·9 | 854 | 83·2 | 1847 | 94·1 | ||
| Familial financial support | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 3016 | 64·8 | 475 | 52·1 | 486 | 65·8 | 690 | 66·7 | 1365 | 69·4 | 83·97 | <0·001 |
| No | 1636 | 35·2 | 436 | 47·9 | 253 | 34·2 | 344 | 33·3 | 603 | 30·6 | ||
| Part-time job | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 2393 | 51·4 | 556 | 61·0 | 410 | 55·5 | 544 | 52·6 | 883 | 44·9 | 72·98 | <0·001 |
| No | 2259 | 48·6 | 355 | 39·0 | 329 | 44·5 | 490 | 47·4 | 1085 | 55·1 | ||
| Full-time job | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 617 | 13·3 | 108 | 11·9 | 66 | 8·9 | 120 | 11·6 | 323 | 16·4 | 33·07 | <0·001 |
| No | 4035 | 86·7 | 803 | 88·1 | 673 | 91·1 | 914 | 88·4 | 1645 | 83·6 | ||
| Using personal savings for income | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 1801 | 38·7 | 304 | 33·4 | 280 | 37·9 | 437 | 42·3 | 780 | 39·6 | 17·37 | 0·001 |
| No | 2851 | 61·3 | 607 | 66·6 | 459 | 62·1 | 597 | 57·7 | 1188 | 60·4 | ||
| Receiving loans requiring repayment | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 1394 | 30·0 | 371 | 40·7 | 276 | 37·3 | 317 | 30·7 | 430 | 21·8 | 131·44 | <0·001 |
| No | 3258 | 70·0 | 540 | 59·3 | 463 | 62·7 | 717 | 69·3 | 1538 | 78·2 | ||
| Participation in a meal plan | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 1346 | 29·1 | 282 | 31·0 | 241 | 33·0 | 314 | 30·6 | 509 | 25·9 | 17·49 | 0·001 |
| No | 3283 | 70·9 | 628 | 69·0 | 490 | 67·0 | 712 | 69·4 | 1453 | 74·1 | ||
| Receiving scholarships not requiring repayment | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 2162 | 46·5 | 382 | 41·9 | 348 | 47·1 | 499 | 48·3 | 933 | 47·4 | 9·68 | 0·021 |
| No | 2490 | 53·5 | 529 | 58·1 | 391 | 52·9 | 535 | 51·7 | 1035 | 52·6 | ||
| Year in school | ||||||||||||
| Sophomore | 1035 | 22·1 | 209 | 22·8 | 175 | 23·3 | 237 | 22·6 | 414 | 20·9 | 121·34 | <0·001 |
| Junior | 1176 | 25·1 | 260 | 28·4 | 196 | 26·1 | 262 | 25·0 | 458 | 23·2 | ||
| Senior | 1164 | 24·8 | 296 | 32·3 | 201 | 26·8 | 245 | 23·4 | 422 | 21·3 | ||
| Graduate | 1315 | 28·0 | 150 | 16·4 | 178 | 23·7 | 304 | 29·0 | 683 | 34·5 | ||
| Self-reported GPA† | ||||||||||||
| <3·00 | 748 | 16·3 | 265 | 29·5 | 148 | 20·5 | 137 | 13·4 | 198 | 10·2 | 288·70 | <0·001 |
| 3·00–3·49 | 1234 | 27·0 | 293 | 32·6 | 204 | 28·3 | 273 | 26·8 | 464 | 24·0 | ||
| 3·50–3·84 | 1440 | 31·5 | 213 | 23·7 | 241 | 33·4 | 338 | 33·1 | 648 | 33·5 | ||
| 3·85–4·00 | 1154 | 25·2 | 128 | 14·2 | 129 | 17·9 | 272 | 26·7 | 625 | 32·3 | ||
| Essential expenditures | 7·75 | 3·9 | 7·62a | 3·5 | 7·27a | 3·6 | 7·56a | 3·7 | 8·09b | 4·2 | – | <0·001 |
| Non-essential expenditures | 3·99 | 2·4 | 2·96a | 1·9 | 3·77b | 2·1 | 4·01b | 2·2 | 4·55c | 2·6 | – | <0·001 |
Essential expenditures include monthly expenditures on housing, groceries, transportation and cell phones; non-essential expenditures include monthly expenditures on shopping, entertainment and eating out.
a,b,cMean values within a row with unlike superscript letters were significantly different (Tukey post hoc test): P<0·01.
*
Values are n and % for χ 2 analyses or means and sd for ANOVA (essential expenditures; non-essential expenditures).
†
Self-reported GPA is self-reported grade point average.