The Role of Campus Food Pantries in the Food Security Safety Net: On-Going or Emergency Use at a Midwest Campus Pantry

A systematic review of factors associated with student use of campus food pantries: implications for addressing barriers and facilitating use

BACKGROUND

While campus food pantries have been important safety net programs for alleviating food insecurity among college students, factors related to accessing these vital resources have not been fully researched and summarized. This study systematically synthesized peer-reviewed literature on the predictors, barriers to, and facilitators of using campus food pantries among college students.

METHODS

A search was conducted on PubMed, CINAHL Complete, PsychInfo, PsycARTICLES, and ScienceDirect in April 2023. Included studies needed to be peer-reviewed, written in English, and focused on college or university students. Three authors independently screened all articles retrieved from the five databases based on titles, titles and abstracts, and a full article review. The Study Quality Assessment Tool from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute was used to assess the risk of bias in the included cross-sectional studies. The risk of bias and quality of mixed methods or qualitative studies were assessed as well.

RESULTS

Eight studies were included in the systematic review. Students likely to use a college food pantry were food-insecure, who most often identified as Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Filipino or Pacific Islander; were first-generation to college; international students; sophomores and juniors; had student loans; were living off-campus; and were without stable housing. Stigma was the most frequently mentioned barrier to using a food pantry. Participants mentioned facilitators such as convenient location and hours of operation, access to fresh produce and nutritious and safe foods, availability of a variety of foods, friendly and helpful service, social support, and awareness of a pantry through fellow students and other members of the university such as staff and faculty.

CONCLUSIONS

Continued research must address students' systemic barriers to accessing food pantries. Campus food pantry leaders, university administrators, and policymakers need to work together to create cost-effective and sustainable solutions that will alleviate the stigma and burden of food-insecure students and provide them with safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable foods.

Evaluating a Campus Food Pantry's Potential Impact on Nutrition Security using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) Framework

Background

Campus food pantries are uniquely positioned to promote health equity with the foods they make accessible to food-insecure students.

Objectives

This study assessed the implementation and effectiveness of a client-choice campus food pantry to understand its potential impact on nutrition security and to inform future implementation.

Methods

This observational study was designed using the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance framework, leveraging administrative data collected from a client-choice campus food pantry at a large Midwest university from August 2020 to May 2022. Pantry staff tracked student usage and item inventory. Items were analyzed for specific nutrients using the Nutrition Data System for Research. The mean nutrients and servings per food group distributed per visit were calculated and compared with dietary recommendations (effectiveness). Characteristics of pantry operation and setup were detailed (adoption). The percentage of openings with adequate stock to meet distribution guidelines was determined (implementation). Descriptive statistics were calculated, and multiple linear regressions determined whether significant changes in nutrients and food were distributed based on distribution guidelines and stock available.

Results

Effectiveness: Vitamin D, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were below 3 d of the recommended intake for all students, and energy, fiber, potassium, vitamin A, and grains were low for male students. Adoption: The pantry was established through a collaboration with a pre-existing community food pantry and operates as a 501(c) and is managed by campus recreation staff. Implementation: The pantry supplied enough produce for 72% of openings to meet distribution guidelines and enough dairy for 63% of openings.

Conclusions

The food and nutrients distributed in limited amounts are consistent with those underconsumed according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. More research is needed to understand how pantry implementation can best support nutrition security through the adequate distribution of key nutrients and food groups.