Mentor/s
Dr. Rui Liu
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
College students will often reduce or limit their food intake for multiple reasons, including food insecurity, which often leads to the development of poor eating habits. These newly developed habits can impact students in different ways, including affecting their mental health. The aim of the observational, cross-sectional study was to explore the relationship between skipping meals due to a lack of financial resources and depression severity among college students. This study was conducted to examine this relationship in a private, Catholic university in the northeast of the United States. Our study was comprised of 271 students at Sacred Heart University’s College of Health Professions who participated in the 2021 Pioneer Student Health and Well-Being Survey. Results demonstrated that approximately 63.2% of the students experienced some level of depression, ranging from mild to severe. Additionally, 43% reported reducing the size of their meals or skipping meals due to a lack of funds. Chi-square analyses revealed a strong, statistically significant inverse relationship between reducing meals and the severity of depression among college students (p < 0.001); the more students reduced food intake, the more the severity of depression increased. These results highlight the need to further analyze the prevalence of food insecurity among college students in the wealthiest county in Connecticut. Food insecurity on Sacred Heart University’s campus may be overlooked due to the upper middle-class stereotype of the university and its students. Expanding resources to provide support, such as increasing access to food pantries, could help address food insecurity on campus.
College and Major available
College of Health Professions
Academic Level
Undergraduate student
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-25-2025 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-25-2025 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Prize Categories
Best Multidisciplinary Research or Collaboration, Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Most Transformative for Social Justice, Best Visuals, Most Creative, Best Writing, Best Technology Prototype
Are College Students who Cut or Skip Meals More Prone to Experience Depression?
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
College students will often reduce or limit their food intake for multiple reasons, including food insecurity, which often leads to the development of poor eating habits. These newly developed habits can impact students in different ways, including affecting their mental health. The aim of the observational, cross-sectional study was to explore the relationship between skipping meals due to a lack of financial resources and depression severity among college students. This study was conducted to examine this relationship in a private, Catholic university in the northeast of the United States. Our study was comprised of 271 students at Sacred Heart University’s College of Health Professions who participated in the 2021 Pioneer Student Health and Well-Being Survey. Results demonstrated that approximately 63.2% of the students experienced some level of depression, ranging from mild to severe. Additionally, 43% reported reducing the size of their meals or skipping meals due to a lack of funds. Chi-square analyses revealed a strong, statistically significant inverse relationship between reducing meals and the severity of depression among college students (p < 0.001); the more students reduced food intake, the more the severity of depression increased. These results highlight the need to further analyze the prevalence of food insecurity among college students in the wealthiest county in Connecticut. Food insecurity on Sacred Heart University’s campus may be overlooked due to the upper middle-class stereotype of the university and its students. Expanding resources to provide support, such as increasing access to food pantries, could help address food insecurity on campus.
Students' Information
Cailey Ziegler, Health Science Major - Dietetics and Nutrition Concentration, Honors Student, Class of 2025
Danielle Queen, Health Science Major - Dietetics and Nutrition Concentration, Honors Student, Class of 2025
Sarah D'Orio, Health Science Major - Dietetics and Nutrition Concentration, Class of 2025
Alexis Troiano, Health Science Major - Dietetics and Nutrition Concentration, Class of 2025
Winner: Dean's Prize: College of Health Professions 2025 Award
Winner, Provost's Prize 2025 Award