Assessment of Food Insecurity Challenges & Impact of the Student Nutrition Access Center at Utah State University: Phase 1
The Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC) operates as the on-campus food pantry at Utah State University (USU). Three of USU’s campuses, located in Logan, Blanding, and Price, Utah had a SNAC pantry at the time of this study. In the 2023-2024 academic year, a cross-sectional survey was deployed among USU students (n = 1538), faculty (n = 76), and staff (n = 135), including the main campus and campuses throughout Utah to:
- Determine awareness, access, and support of SNAC among USU populations;
- Identify personal characteristics, food security issues, and service experiences of current SNAC service users;
- Evaluate individual health, social, and economic impacts of SNAC on service users; and
- Assess food security issues of USU students at the non-residential Statewide campuses.
Working with community partners to build knowledge through research
The USU Transforming Communities Institute (TCI) partnered with USU's Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC), the Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science Department, and the Department of Social Work to conduct a research study that:
- assessed food security issues in the USU system;
- identified common characteristics of SNAC service users and evaluated the individual health, social, and economic impacts of SNAC on its service users; and
- determine awareness, support, and knowledge of SNAC among USU students, faculty and staff.
Defining Food Security
USDA 10-Item Food Security Scale
Low food security: Reduces quality, variable or desirability of diet.
Very low food security: Disrupted eating patterns, reduced food intake, and hunger.
SNAC at USU
SNAC at USU is a low-barrier food pantry that provides Aggies with hunger-free education by offering nutritious and diverse food options.
SNAC programs are available at residential campuses (i.e., Logan, Price, and Blanding).
About the Student Respondents
Students icon
All Campuses
(n=1538)
89% Logan
88% Undergraduate
93% Full-time student
25% Pell Grant recipients
76% Employed
82% White
63% Female
74% Heterosexual
71% Religiously-affiliated
43% Conservative/very conservative
SNAC Users
(n=809)
95% Logan
87% Undergraduate
95% Full-time student
25% Pell Grant recipients
78% Employed
80% White
61% Female (Cisgender)
73% Heterosexual
70% Religiously-affiliated
38% Conservative/very conservative
Statewide
(n=82)
21% Brigham City
79% Undergraduate
63% Full-time student
42% Pell Grant recipients
79% Employed
84% White
77% Female (Cisgender)
73% Heterosexual
67% Religiously-affiliated
44% Conservative/very conservative
Levels of Food Security
62%
of all USU students surveyed experience low or very low food security
71%
of SNAC users surveyed experience low or very low food security
46%
of statewide students surveyed experience low or very low food security
What do students think about SNAC as a service?
of students on residential campuses are supportive or very supportive of SNAC
of Statewide students would like a food pantry on their campus
of students who have not used SNAC reported they would only use it if they were not food secure
of Statewide students would use a food pantry on their campus if they needed to
Mean yearly fee students at residential campuses would pay to support SNAC
$18.05
(SD=14.28)
Mean yearly fee students at statewide campuses would pay to support a food pantry on their campus
$21.24
(SD=16.13)
How are SNAC users benefitting from services?
60%
report SNAC helps them avoid going hungry when they don't have enough money for food
83%
say SNAC helps them feel less worried about having enough food
68%
indicated SNAC helps them eat more balanced meals
67%
report SNAC helps avoid cutting the size of meals or skipping meals altogether
Star Icon Why is it important to continue to address low food security at USU? Star Icon
Our study found that USU students with low or very low food security experience:
- higher levels of stress
- lower quality of life
- lower sense of connection to the community
- great dissatisfaction with their economic situation
Supporting SNAC is a way to support the overall quality of life of USU students.
Thumbtack Icon Recommendations to continue to address food security at USU
- Include "Food Security" paragraph from the syllabus resources available at usu.edu/teach.
- Advocate for expansion of SNAC at statewide campuses.
- Develop SNAC student ambassadors who can present on services throughout campus.
- Recruit department "SNAC Champions" to promote SNAC and organize drives.
- Develop an advisory board to address consistent funding of SNAC programs at all USU campuses.