Food Insecurity and Economic Hardship of College Students: Before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming concerns regarding food insecurity and economic impacts for young adults. This study examined food insecurity and economic hardship before and during the pandemic, using data from a cross-sectional survey with college students (N = 375). We employed two analytic approaches, a Latent Class Analysis and a cumulative risk approach. The findings suggest that food insecurity and economic hardship increased during the pandemic and, more importantly, the patterns of economic hardship differ in nature before and during the pandemic. Economic hardship significantly explained food insecurity, and the pandemic intensified the association. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Poverty is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)