“Hungry for an Education”: Prevalence and Outcomes of Food Insecurity Among Students at a Primarily Undergraduate University in Rural Nova Scotia

Oct 15, 2026

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This paper examines food insecurity among students attending a primarily undergraduate university in rural Nova Scotia. In 2015, 1,030 students completed a 38-item online cross-sectional survey. Findings show 38.1% of students experienced food insecurity in the previous 12 months, with significant associations to living arrangements, funding source, meal plans, and year of study. Food-insecure students reported poorer physical and mental health, higher stress, and worse academic performance, alongside coping strategies linked to long-term debt and reduced learning time.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Survey results and key associations

Health, stress, and academic performance

Coping strategies and qualitative themes

Policy implications for post-secondary funding

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 48, No. 2, 2018, pages 109-129 “Hungry for an Education”: Prevalence and Outcomes of Food Insecurity Among Students at a Primarily Undergraduate University in Rural Nova Scotia Lesley Frank Acadia University Abstract This paper reports on food insecurity among students attending a university in rural Nova Scotia. In 2015, 1,030 students completed an online, 38-item cross-sectional survey. The results report that 38.1% of students experienced food insecurity during the previous 12 months. Food insecurity was statistically associated with living arrangements, source of funds for schooling, meal plans, and year of study. Poor overall health, poor mental health, high stress, and poor academic performance were significantly higher for food-insecure students. Students employed multiple coping strategies, with implications for academic success and long-term debt. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes related to insufficient money for food: inability to cover basic needs, health-related outcomes of persistent worry, loss of time from learning, and impacts on social life. This research demonstrates the need to re-evaluate funding policies for post-secondary education in Canada to ensure students can afford the costs of basic needs and educational costs. Résumé Cet article traite de l’insécurité alimentaire parmi les étudiants d’une université rurale en Nouvelle-Écosse. Selon les résultats d’une enquête transversale réalisée en 2015, 38,1% des étudiants avaient subi une insécurité alimentaire au cours des 12 mois précédents. L’insécurité alimentaire estassociée statistiquement au logement, au financement des études, au régime de repas, et à l’année d’étude, ce qui contribue à des taux plus élevés de mauvaise santé générale et mentale et aux mauvais rendements scolaires. Les CJHE / RCES Volume 48, No. 2, 2018 Hungry for an Education / L. Frank 110 stratégies d’adaptation des étudiants affectent la réussite scolaire et la dette à long terme. Une analyse qualitative du manque d’argent pour l’alimentation révèle quatre thèmes: une incapacité de subvenir aux besoins primaires, uneinquiétude chronique, une réduction du temps consacré aux études, et un impact sur la vie sociale. Les résultats témoignent de la nécessité de réévaluer les politiques de financement de l’enseignement postsecondaire au Canada afin de résoudre ces problèmes. An increasing number of post-secondary students in Canada are struggling to afford post-secondary education, and evidence is mounting that student poverty is being realized in the existence and high usage of food banks on most Canadian university campuses (Ferguson, 2004). Tuition fees have risen by 238% since 1991 (CAUT, 2014) . Students are working more during the school year to afford higher education (Neill, 2015), and thereis a mismatch between student loan funding and minimum wages in relation to the cost of tuition and basic needs (Ferguson, 2004) . According to the Canadian Federation of Students–Nova Scotia (2004), insufficient funding affects vulnerable students the most, including Aboriginal and racialized students, and those with disabilities, deterring them from pursuing higher education. Other research has shown that international students attending university in Canada also experience unique challenges in affording their basic needs (Calder et al., 2016) . Food security has been measured in Canada since 2005 atthe household level, consistent with the definition by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (United Nations, 1996) as “all people, at all times, hav[ing] physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” The United Nations’(1996) definition of food security covers four pillars of security: access, availability, utilization, and stability. In Ca

FAQs

What proportion of surveyed students experienced food insecurity in the previous 12 months?

38.1% of the 1,030 students reported food insecurity during the previous 12 months.

Which student factors were statistically associated with food insecurity?

Food insecurity was associated with living arrangements, source of funds for schooling, meal plans, and year of study.

How did food insecurity relate to students’ health and academic performance?

Food-insecure students had significantly poorer overall and mental health, higher stress, and worse academic performance than other students.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet