ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4978-4736

Year

2024

Season

Fall

Paper Type

Doctoral Dissertation

College

Brooks College of Health

Degree Name

Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN)

Department

Nutrition & Dietetics

NACO controlled Corporate Body

University of North Florida. Department of Nutrition & Dietetics

First Advisor

Andrea Arikawa, PhD, MPH, RDN, LD/N, FAND

Second Advisor

Jen Ross, DCN, RD, LDN, FAND

Third Advisor

Dr. Matthew J. Landry

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Lauri Wright

Department Chair

Andrea Arikawa, PhD, MPH, RDN, LD/N, FAND

College Dean

Mei Zhao, PhD

Abstract

Objective: These scoping reviews explore the broad body of research post-secondary students experiencing food insecurity and eating disorders, to identify trends and gaps to inform future research.

Methods: Three search engines (PubMed, Web of Science, and CINHAL Full Text) were systematically searched for articles reporting on food security status in U.S. college students for manuscript one and post-secondary students experiencing food insecurity and maladaptive eating behaviors or eating disorders for manuscript two.

Results: One-hundred and sixty studies met inclusion criteria for manuscript one. Emerging high-risk student characteristics include gender non-conforming (GNC) and non-binary, financial independence in college, and pregnant and parenting students. Emerging correlates include lack of transportation, anxiety, and eating disorders. For manuscript two 28 studies met inclusion criteria. In sum, this research provides novel evidence of gender differences in both FI severity and internalizing symptoms, impacting ED risk.

Conclusions: Prevalence data can be used by colleges to advocate for services and programs. Additional multi-institutional cohort, longitudinal and qualitative studies are needed to identify timely interventions and effective solutions. A new “rights-based” approach to food security solutions that includes nutrition and food literacy for all students is needed. Contradictory evidence on bulimic- and restrictive-spectrum disorders, possibly due to nuances between subjective vs. objective binges, and cognitive restriction (to control weight) vs. dietary restriction (for other reasons), requires further analysis. Limited data support the feast or famine cycle hypothesis, however the temporal influences of food availability on binges in food insecure college students has yet to be established.

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