Title:

The relationship between food security status, weight perception and weight-change goals in college students

Objective: Research suggests food insecurity may be related to inaccurate weight perception and weight-change goals in young adults through shared risk factors and exposure to food restriction. The purpose of this study was to examine weight misperceptions and weight goals between food-insecure (FI) college students and their food-secure (FS) counterparts. Methods: Data were collected through the College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey, an on-going cross-sectional study at a midsize northeastern university. This analysis examined data from Fall of 2018 (n=325). Body composition was assessed via bioelectrical impedance and used to determine actual weight status. Students self-reported their perceived weight status, goals related to weight change, and food security status through an online questionnaire. Data are reported as frequencies; chi-square analysis was used to evaluate differences. Results: Weight misperception was observed in 38% of all students. More than half (62%) of all students had weight-change goals. Eighteen percent of students reported low or very low food security. There were no differences in the prevalence of weight misperception (43 vs. 36%, p=.37) between FI and FS students. FI students tended to be more likely to have a weight-change goal vs. FS students (84 vs. 65%, p=.09). Conclusions: These findings are consistent with current literature in demonstrating a high prevalence of weight misperception and weight-change goals among college students. There was no observed effect of food security on weight misperception but weight-change goals seemed to be influenced by food security status. Further research is needed to guide appropriate interventions for FI students. Funding Sources: New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 1010738.

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