The Levels of Food Insecurity Among First Generation and Non-First Generation Latinx College Students at California State University Stanislaus During the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

The purpose of this study is to describe the levels of food insecurity among first generation Latinx college students and non-first generation Latinx college students at California State University Stanislaus during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. This study was guided by one research question: What are the levels of food insecurity among first generation Latinx college students and non-first generation Latinx college students at CSU Stanislaus? This was a quantitative research design. The sample consisted of 1,064 undergraduate and graduate Latinx students at CSU Stanislaus enrolled during the Fall 2019 academic year. Participants responded to an electronic survey. An Independent Samples T-test was conducted. The first major finding revealed first generation college students reported a higher average of food insecurity than non- first generation college students. Another major finding revealed that both first generation and nonfirst generation respondents do suffer from some level of food insecurity. The 2019 Novel Coronavirus created limited availability of food items for consumer purchase. Survey responses to measure food insecurity levels among this population may have differed prior to the stay-at-home order initiated by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic. One future research implication is to spread awareness of the Warrior Food Pantry at CSU Stanislaus. Future research can also explore the mental health impacts first generation and non-first generation Latinx college students experience due to food insecurity. Efforts by higher education should be made to find ways to spread awareness to all food assistance programs available to its students to address and diminish food insecurity on campuses.

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