Date of Award
8-16-2024
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Exercise Science
First Advisor
Toni Torres-McGehee
Abstract
The prevalence of food insecurity across college campus in the United States has been widely explored, with the primary focus placed on large, 4-year, primarily White institutions. Less is known about the prevalence of food insecurity and the impact it may have on health behaviors among minority serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Young adults attending college, and more specifically student-athletes (SAs), are typically in a new place, facing new stressors and high rates of food insecurity, which in turn may play a critical role in their current health status as it pertains to meeting their energy needs (e.g. energy intake (EI), exercise energy expenditure (EEE), energy balance (EB), energy availability (EA), macronutrient intake, etc.). The research to date has not explored the relationship between food insecurity and eating disorders (ED) across HBCU students. Nutritional factors such as EI, and EA have not been explored in tandem with the dimensions of food access across SAs. Overall, the combination of poor nutrition, food insecurity and mental health factors needs to be further explored to examine the impact across underrepresented HBCU students and SAs. Therefore, we aimed to 1) examine the prevalence and association of food insecurity and ED risk across HBCU students, 2) examine the energy needs and prevalence of low EA with or without ED risk across HBCU female SAs, and 3) explore the lived experiences of HBCU female SAs surrounding their food environment and ability to access food based on the five dimensions of food access: availability, accessibility, affordability, accommodation, and acceptability.Study 1utilized a cross-sectional design; HBCU students completed a web-based survey including demographics, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Survey Module, the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and questions about pathogenic behaviors.Results:Of participating students, 59.7% were food insecure (low food security: 21.8%; very low food security: 37.8%) with no significant differences between food security status and sex (χ2(1,119) =0.8091, p=0.368). Overall, combined ED risk (EAT-26 and/or pathogenic behavior risk) was found in 49.6% of students with no significant differences across sex (χ2(1,119) =0.458, p=0.502). The odds of having ED risk for food-insecure students were 4.41 times higher compared to their food-secure counterparts. Significantly higher average EAT-26 total scores (=3.38 p=.035) and dieting subscale scores (=2.28 p=.030) were found for food insecure students compared to those who were food secure.Study 2 and 3followed a sequential mixed-methods design. HBCU female SAs completed baseline measures, including the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3), the EDI-3 symptom checklist (SC), anthropometric measures, resting metabolic rate via indirect calorimetry, a 7-day dietary log to measure EI, and wore a heart rate monitor to estimate EEE for 7 days. Low EA was defined as /kg of fat-free mass (FFM)/day. Following the quantitative study, the consensual qualitative research tradition was followed using a semi-structured interview protocol to explore the lived experiences of HBCU female SAs surrounding their food environment and ability to access food based on the five dimensions of food access.Results:The EA (mean=15.9±10.1 kcal/kg FFM/day) indicated 92.6% of female SAs (n=25) displayed LEA; of those 60% (n=15) had LEA with ED risk. In total, risk for ED was identified in 59.3% of female athletes [n=13; EDI-3 (n=2); SC (n=3); both (n=11)]. Four domains emerged from the interviews: 1) on-campus living, 2) personal, 3) convenience, and 4) nutritional awareness. Female SAs shared there are available food sources on campus and within their community; however, at times it is not what they would like to eat, or it may not look appealing to them. Time conflicts and budgetary concerns are among some of the challenges SAs face when obtaining food. Female SAs acknowledged they do not fuel properly for the demands of their sport. HBCU students and SAs face various challenges to obtain adequate dietary intake. Academics and athletics administrators working at HBCUs need to consider implementing strategies to increase access to resources and financial support to mitigate food insecurity and increase proper dietary intake among their students and SAs.
Rights
© 2024, Nancy Anai Uriegas
Recommended Citation
Uriegas, N. A.(2024). Nutrition and Mental Health Related Factors Across Historically Black College and University Students. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7761