Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain

Background/Objectives: Food insecurity (FI) is the 'limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods'. Although the literature suggests a strong association between FI, socioeconomic status (SES), and health, the nature of their relationship is not well specified...

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Autores: García Iruretagoyena, Laura, Martínez Pérez, Naiara, Colen, Liesbeth, Baeta Bafalluy, Miriam, Olalde Marquínez, Iñigo, Torheim, Liv Elin, Arroyo Izaga, Marta
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad del País Vasco
Repositorio:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
OAI Identifier:oai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/78398
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/78398
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:food insecurity
health
higher education
mediation
socioeconomic status
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spelling Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, SpainGarcía Iruretagoyena, LauraMartínez Pérez, NaiaraColen, LiesbethBaeta Bafalluy, MiriamOlalde Marquínez, IñigoTorheim, Liv ElinArroyo Izaga, Martafood insecurityhealthhigher educationmediationsocioeconomic statusBackground/Objectives: Food insecurity (FI) is the 'limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods'. Although the literature suggests a strong association between FI, socioeconomic status (SES), and health, the nature of their relationship is not well specified in vulnerable population groups such as university students. To address this gap, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of FI among university students, examine its association with various health outcomes, and explore the potential mediating effect of SES. Methods: This cross-sectional survey included a convenience sample of 394 participants from the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (Spain). Data on SES, demographic and lifestyle factors, and health outcomes were collected between December 2021 and January 2022, using a questionnaire developed by the Food Insecurity among European University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic (FINESCOP) consortium. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed at the UPV/EHU using Cronbach's α. FI was measured using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) from the FAO, which was validated through testing of Rasch model assumptions. Results: Overall, 19% of university students were food insecure, with 2.5% experiencing moderate and 0.8% experiencing severe FI. Adjusted linear regression models showed that FI was associated with a higher body mass index (BMI), poorer self-rated health, and worsening health during the pandemic. SES mediated the relationship between FI and health outcomes, with the strongest mediation observed for BMI (indirect association: B = 0.25, 95% CI = -0.17-0.75; total association: B = 1.85, 95% CI = 0.14-3.56; 15.3% of mediation). Conclusions: FI is prevalent among UPV/EHU students, and it is associated with multiple negative health outcomes, partly explained by SES. To effectively address FI, higher education institutions should consider implementing comprehensive strategies. For future research, longitudinal studies would be recommended to systematically monitor FI and examine causal relationships.Esta investigación ha contado con el apoyo del Vicerrectorado de Desarrollo Científico y Social y Transferencia de la UPV/EHU, financiado por el programa contractual formalizado con el Gobierno Vasco (código del proyecto Campus Bizia Lab: 21ARRO, 22ARRO, 23ARRO y 24ARRO). El Grupo de Investigación BIOMICs cuenta con el apoyo del Gobierno Vasco (n.º IT1633-22).MDPI202620262025info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10810/78398reponame:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigacióninstname:Universidad del País VascoIngléshttps://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/8/1314info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licenseoai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/783982026-06-18T09:23:17Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain
title Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain
spellingShingle Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain
García Iruretagoyena, Laura
food insecurity
health
higher education
mediation
socioeconomic status
title_short Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain
title_full Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain
title_fullStr Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain
title_full_unstemmed Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain
title_sort Food insecurity, health, and socioeconomic status: Results from the University of the Basque Country, Spain
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv García Iruretagoyena, Laura
Martínez Pérez, Naiara
Colen, Liesbeth
Baeta Bafalluy, Miriam
Olalde Marquínez, Iñigo
Torheim, Liv Elin
Arroyo Izaga, Marta
author García Iruretagoyena, Laura
author_facet García Iruretagoyena, Laura
Martínez Pérez, Naiara
Colen, Liesbeth
Baeta Bafalluy, Miriam
Olalde Marquínez, Iñigo
Torheim, Liv Elin
Arroyo Izaga, Marta
author_role author
author2 Martínez Pérez, Naiara
Colen, Liesbeth
Baeta Bafalluy, Miriam
Olalde Marquínez, Iñigo
Torheim, Liv Elin
Arroyo Izaga, Marta
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv food insecurity
health
higher education
mediation
socioeconomic status
topic food insecurity
health
higher education
mediation
socioeconomic status
description Background/Objectives: Food insecurity (FI) is the 'limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods'. Although the literature suggests a strong association between FI, socioeconomic status (SES), and health, the nature of their relationship is not well specified in vulnerable population groups such as university students. To address this gap, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of FI among university students, examine its association with various health outcomes, and explore the potential mediating effect of SES. Methods: This cross-sectional survey included a convenience sample of 394 participants from the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (Spain). Data on SES, demographic and lifestyle factors, and health outcomes were collected between December 2021 and January 2022, using a questionnaire developed by the Food Insecurity among European University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic (FINESCOP) consortium. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed at the UPV/EHU using Cronbach's α. FI was measured using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) from the FAO, which was validated through testing of Rasch model assumptions. Results: Overall, 19% of university students were food insecure, with 2.5% experiencing moderate and 0.8% experiencing severe FI. Adjusted linear regression models showed that FI was associated with a higher body mass index (BMI), poorer self-rated health, and worsening health during the pandemic. SES mediated the relationship between FI and health outcomes, with the strongest mediation observed for BMI (indirect association: B = 0.25, 95% CI = -0.17-0.75; total association: B = 1.85, 95% CI = 0.14-3.56; 15.3% of mediation). Conclusions: FI is prevalent among UPV/EHU students, and it is associated with multiple negative health outcomes, partly explained by SES. To effectively address FI, higher education institutions should consider implementing comprehensive strategies. For future research, longitudinal studies would be recommended to systematically monitor FI and examine causal relationships.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2026
2026
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10810/78398
url http://hdl.handle.net/10810/78398
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/8/1314
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eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
instname:Universidad del País Vasco
instname_str Universidad del País Vasco
reponame_str Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
collection Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
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