Social background, food security and diet among university students: evidence from the YAHEE project

Background

Social inequalities may play a key role in shaping the high levels of food insecurity and less healthy diets observed among university students, yet evidence remains limited. This study aimed to explore the associations between students’ social background, food security and diet among higher education students (18-30y) in France.

Methods

Two cross-sectional surveys (BSE and CoCoNut) were conducted. Data were collected on household occupational status (managerial, intermediate, and working class) as indicator of social background, food security (short-form of US HFSSM), diet quality (15-item FFQ), vegetarian diet, and daily living conditions. Multivariable regressions were used to explore associations between social background and food security (ordinal logistic), diet quality (linear), and vegetarian diet (logistic). Model 1 accounted for sociodemographic and academic factors and Model 2 additionally accounted for living arrangements, financial difficulties, scholarship status, and use of food assistance.

Results

The BSE survey comprised 5,166 students (57% women, 41% from working-class households). In Model 1, a more disadvantaged social background (working-class vs managerial) was associated with higher odds of low food security (OR [95% CI]= 1.95 [1.66-2.28]), lower diet quality (β [95% CI]= -0.73 [-0.90; -0.57]) and lower adherence to a vegetarian diet (OR [95% CI]= 0.50 [0.40-0.62]). In Model 2, associations with food security were not significant, while those with diet quality (β [95% CI]= -0.68 [-0.86; -0.50]) and vegetarian diet (OR [95% CI]= 0.46 [0.36-0.58]) remained of similar magnitude. Findings were consistent in the CoCoNut study (n = 879, 72% women, 41% from working-class households).

Conclusions

This study confirms the role of social background in relation to students’ diet accounting daily living conditions. Better understanding of these associations can inform policies and the design of targeted interventions to promote equitable diets.

Key messages

• Accounting for daily living conditions, the association between food security and social background is not significant but remains significant for diet quality and adherence to a vegetarian diet.

• While policies targeting improvements in daily living conditions may help reduce food insecurity among students, they are unlikely to be sufficient to improve diet quality on their own.