ArticlePublic health nutrition2019
Food insecurity, psychosocial health and academic performance among college and university students in Georgia, USA.
Article in Public health nutrition, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Food insecurity among university students in Australia: A systematic review of prevalence, predictors, health and academic outcomes.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2026Pooled it
- Analysis of Food Insecurity in U.S. Colleges Using Current Assessment Tools-A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- The Association between Food Insecurity and Academic Performance among Higher Education Students: A Systematic Review.Current nutrition reports · 2026Pooled it
- Food and Nutrition Insecurity Among Medical Students at a Historically Black Medical School.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
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- Food insecurity and cultural food access among international college students in the USA.Public health nutrition · 2026Article
- The effect of food insecurity on psychosocial aspects of academic achievement.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Food insecurity in college students: a qualitative exploration of the multiple domains.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Association between food insecurity and depressive symptoms in college students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2025Article
- Risk of food insecurity and its association with social determinants of health among hospitalized patients in Lebanon.BMC nutrition · 2025Article
- Associations of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale with Socioeconomic and Psychological Factors in Japan.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Association Between Food Insecurity and Mental Health Among College Students in the Bronx, New York (NY).Nutrients · 2025Article
- Psychosocial and Academic Implications of Food Insecurity Among International Students: A Qualitative Study in Hungary.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Interventions to Reduce Food and Nutrition Insecurity Among Dental Students.Journal of dental education · 2025Article
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- Food Insecurity, Health, and Socioeconomic Status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Risk factors of food insecurity among students at diverse post-secondary education institutions: a cross-sectional examination.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2025Article
- Supporting students through the COVID-19 pandemic: the perspectives of food pantry workers.BMC nutrition · 2025Article
- Food security and dietary intake of a cohort of South African students during COVID-19.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2025Article
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo examine whether psychosocial health mediates the association between food insecurity and grade point average (GPA) among college and university students.
designData for the present study are from a longitudinal cohort study. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the proposed mediation hypothesis. Food insecurity was measured using the US Department of Agriculture's Six-Item Short Form. Psychosocial health was operationalized as a latent factor with three indicators: depression, anxiety and hope. Validated scales were used to measure each indicator. GPA was self-reported.
settingSeven colleges and universities in Georgia, USA.ParticipantsStudents aged 18-25 years were recruited via email and surveyed every four months over a two-year period (analytic n 2377).
resultsApproximately 29 % of students were food insecure. In the final SEM, food insecurity was associated (standardized β, se) with poorer psychosocial health (0·22, 0·03, P<0·0001) and poorer psychosocial health was associated with a lower GPA (-0·21, 0·03, P<0·0001). The indirect effect of food security status on GPA, as mediated by psychosocial health, was significant (-0·05, 0·01, P<0·0001) and accounted for 73 % of the total effect. After accounting for psychosocial health, the direct effect of food security status on GPA was not significant (-0·02, 0·02, P=0·43).
conclusionsPsychosocial health may be an important mechanism through which food insecurity affects academic performance among college and university students. Multicomponent interventions that address immediate food security needs as well as co-occurring mental health and academic concerns are needed to ensure student success.
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