Esaryk et al. / Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior / August 2021
This study aimed to identify factors associated with campus food pantry (CFP) visits and evaluate outreach strategies. Students reported reasons for CFP visits, how they heard about the CFP, monthly CFP visits, and food security status. Sociodemographic information was obtained through institutional records. On average, students made 3.66 (SD, 4.75) CFP visits in the past month. Factors associated with more CFP visits included being first-generation to attend college, Filipino/Pacific Islanders, homeless, older, and male (Model 1). Not wanting to run out of food and hearing about the CFP through basic needs staff were associated with more CFP visits (Models 2 and 3). Students who visited the CFP because of financial insecurity had higher odds of food insecurity (Model 4). Findings suggest that CFPs provide critical emergency food assistance for students at risk of food insecurity.
