Objective:

To assess the prevalence of food insecurity among US medical students and identify demographic and financial predictors.

Approach:

• Survey Methodology: A multi-institution survey was conducted with 1,834 respondents across 8 medical schools, utilizing the US Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Survey Module.
• Data Analysis: Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of food insecurity, defined as three or more affirmative responses.

Key Findings:

• 21% of medical students reported food insecurity, nearly double the national household average.
• Food insecurity was significantly higher among Black students (odds ratio [OR] 2.91), Southeast Asian students (OR 5.73), Middle Eastern or North African students (OR 2.80), and Hispanic or Latino students (OR 2.47) compared to White or non-Hispanic peers.
• Students classified as underrepresented in medicine had more than twice the odds of food insecurity (OR 2.45).
• Financial factors strongly correlated with food insecurity, including reliance on private loans (adjusted OR [aOR] 9.00), federal loans (aOR 2.06), and scholarships (aOR 2.74–2.77).
• Median debt among food-insecure students was $65,000, compared to $36,000 for food-secure peers.
• Institutional prevalence of food insecurity varied widely, influenced by local cost of living and campus aid structures.

Interpretation:

Limitations:

• Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.
• 36% response rate may affect representativeness.
• Overrepresentation of private, research-intensive institutions may limit generalizability.
• Potential underreporting due to self-reported data.

Conclusion:

Further research is needed to address food insecurity among medical students.

Sources:

• JAMA Network Open