Food Insecurity in Collegiate Athletes During COVID-19

Author

Elizabeth SwindellFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-6-2022

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Nutrition and Hospitality Management

First Advisor

Melinda Valliant

Second Advisor

Georgianna Mann

Third Advisor

Anne Bomba

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

A study done by Georgetown University in 2019 found that one-fourth of NCAA, D1 collegiate athletes experience food insecurity. The study purpose was to examine food security levels in student athletes at a southern university and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in these students. A survey was completed by student athletes to determine their food security levels during the 2020 academic year at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey included questions relating to food security based on the USDA’s food insecurity module as well as questions specifically related to the impact of food security as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from 218 athletes suggest that the average number of athletes experiencing food insecurity was 16% in the 2020 survey. Approximately 43% of the total number of athletes completing the survey reported food insecurity related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These results suggest that colleges should screen for the food security status of athletes in order to be able to better provide programming, resources, and other forms of aid.

Recommended Citation

Swindell, Elizabeth, "Food Insecurity in Collegiate Athletes During COVID-19" (2022). Honors Theses. 2485.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2485

Accessibility Status

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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.