Beyond the Pill’s ongoing research in community colleges contributed data to a study on food insecurity among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The conference paper, led by University of Texas at Austin researcher Irene Rossetto and co-authored by Beyond the Pill’s Jennifer Yarger and Cynthia Harper, explored COVID-related hardship and sociodemographic factors associated with food insecurity among young adults in Texas and California.
Across a sample of 1,788 diverse participants ages 18-25, more than a quarter experienced COVID-related food insecurity. Economic and social disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with increased odds of reported food insecurity. Students who experienced COVID-related job loss or cared for a sick person because of the pandemic were significantly more likely to report food insecurity, as were Black, first-generation college students, and those living apart from their parents. The study suggests that greater outreach is needed to alleviate food insecurity for these groups.
Learn more about Beyond the Pill’s community college randomized control trial.
Cite this study:
Rossetto, Irene, Kristine Hopkins, Jennifer Yarger, Danielle Van Liefde, Audrey Sánchez, Sarah Elmes, Cheryl Sanders, Rita Hernandez, Cynthia Harper. Food Insecurity Among Young Adults in Community College During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Population Association of America 2023 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 12-15, 2023.