Food security in the household from the perspective of a university population

Abstract

Food insecurity is a public health problem throughout the world, since a growing number of households present this situation of vulnerability. The objective of this study was to carry out a diagnosis of the situation regarding food security in the homes of the students of the University Center for Biological and Agricultural Sciences of the University of Guadalajara, in Mexico. An online survey was applied to 225 undergraduate students through a platform based on the Latin American and Caribbean Scale of Food Security. 52% of the households present some level of food insecurity, of which 76 present mild insecurity (33.77%), 30 moderate insecurity (13.33%) and 11 severe insecurity (4.88%). The largest number of “yes” answers (85) was for the question “Have you ever worried that food would run out at home?”. The data presented suggest a worrying reality regarding food security
in the families of the University Center students, five out of 10 students live in families with food insecurity, that is, the students are suffering from hunger and malnutrition and are concerned about it.