1.Sociodemographic Predictors of Food Insecurity Among Malay University Students
Alia Azmi ; Khairil Anuar Md Isa ; Norazimah Abd Aziz ; Mohd Ghazali Masuri
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2022;18(No.2):42-49
Introduction: Food insecurity is currently a problem faced by both developing and developed nations. Issues of
food insecurity reflect both social and economic challenges, posing a significant policy dilemma. Although there
has been various research on food insecurity, very little has been done to better understand what are the sociodemographic factors that can predict food insecurity within a Malaysian context, especially amongst the unique community of Malay university students, which makes up the largest group of students in tertiary education. Therefore,
this study examined the prevalence of food insecurity and its associated factors among Malay university students.
Methods: Conducted in Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor Campus, conveniently sampled participants (n = 181)
completed a pre-tested English version of the US Adult Food Security Survey Module (AFSSM) questions in 2015,
which measures their level of food security status. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine
the sociodemographic predictors of food insecurity among the sampled population. Results: More than one-third of
participants (42.5%) reported food insecurity within the past year with 22.1% experiencing very low food insecurity.
Additionally, of those who experienced food security, 5.4% reported a low food security status. However, no significant predictors were observed positively related to food insecurity. Conclusion: Data indicates that food insecurity is
a significant problem among university students and additional research is needed to better understand and address
food insecurity in higher education.