A Survey Study on Student Basic Needs at University of California Ruben E. Canedo, University of California, Berkeley Tongshan Chang , University of California Office of the President The 42nd CAIR Annual Conference November 8th - 11th, 2017 | Concord| California The University of California

Presentation Outline Background Assessing food insecurity UC surveys of basic needs Survey results Future directions The University of California

What is Food Insecurity? Uncertain or limited ability to get adequate food due to lack of financial resources (USDA) Leading to reductions in: - Diet quality (low food secure) - Diet quantity (very low food secure) USDA defines food insecurity as the uncertain or limited ability to get adequate food due to lack of financial resources: Resulting in reductions in: QUALITY: Diet quality, variety or desirability (low food security) QUANTITY: Food intake and disrupted eating patterns (very low food security) Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): www.ers.usda.gov The University of California

Food Insecurity in U.S. Households 14 percent of households (17.4 million households) were food insecure. Just under half of these (6.9 million households) experienced very low food security. Note: prevalence among adults = 13.4% In 2014: 48.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 32.8 million adults and 15.3 million children (~ 1 in 4 children live in food insecure households – though all FI themselves) 17M American households 48M Americans Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2014 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement The University of California

Food Insecurity in U.S. Colleges 35% Illinois U campuses (n=1882) 59% W. Oregon U (n=354) 25% UMass Boston (n=390) 19% CSU Sacramento (n=67) 56% Maryland community colleges (n=301) 32% Arizona State (n=209) We know relatively little about FI in college students Food insecurity has not missed college students 2006 – first study conducted in 2006 at the U Hawaii in Manoa 2010 - CUNY 2011 – U Oregon, U Alabama 2012 – CC Maryland (urban n=150 and suburban n=150) 2013 – 4 Universities in Illinois 2014 – U Arkansas 2015 – 10 CC – black and whites more likely to experience All studies used the USDA 6 or 10 item module using convenience samples All in all, food insecurity has been assess in less than 10,000 students which is very low compared to expected 20 million students projected by the National Center for Education Statistics (Fall 2015) 73% U of North Carolina (n=504) 31 % U Texas (n=258) 21% U Hawaii Manoa (n=410) 14% U Alabama (n=557) The University of California

UC Global Food Initiative “Addressing how to sustainably and nutriciously feed a world population expected to reach 8 billion in 2025” Identify best practices and share widely Use the power of UC research and extension to help individuals and communities; and Deploy UC’s research to shape, impact and drive policy discussions at the local, state, national and international levels. http://www.ucop.edu/global-food-initiative/ -Launched in July 2014 -Over 27 committees: curriculum, operations, policy, research service -Currently In Phase II-->expanding, partnering, and advancing best practices The University of California

GFI Food Access & Basic Needs Leadership UC President’s Staff VP Student Affairs Financial Aid VP Institutional Research & Academic Planning UC Berkeley Graduate Assembly Nutrition Policy Institute Campus GFI Food Access & Security Committees UG and Grad Students, Staff, Faculty, Admin, Community Experts Undergraduate & Graduate Student Leadership Student Orgs/Clubs, UCSA, UC Council of Presidents, Student Regents The University of California

Assessing food security/insecurity USDA Modules 18-item – households w/children 10-item – households w/o children 6-item module https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/survey-tools/#guide The University of California

Assessing food security/insecurity Six-item module by USDA The University of California

Assessing food security/insecurity Two-item module The University of California

Assessing food security/insecurity Defining food security/insecurity Six-item module Affirmative Response a. The food that I bought just didn’t last, and I didn’t have money to get more. 1 b. I couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals. c. Did you ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn't enough money for food?   d. [If ‘Yes’ is selected to c] How often did this happen? almost every month, some months but not every month/only 1 or 2 months 2/1 e. Did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn't enough money for food? f. Were you ever hungry but didn't eat because there wasn't enough money for food? 0 – 1: high or marginal food security 2 – 4: low food security 5 – 6: very low food security food insecurity The University of California

Assessing food security/insecurity Defining food security/insecurity Two-item module Affirmative Response a. I was worried whether my food would run out before I got money to buy more. 1 b. The food that I bought just didn’t last, and I didn’t have money to get more. 0 : food security 1 – 2: food insecurity Research on development and validity of a 2-item screen to identify families at risk for food insecurity shows that an affirmative response to Item 1 and/or Item 2 of the HFSS (Household Food Security Survey, a validated instrument from the USDA) provided a sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 83% (Hager et al, 2010). Hager, R. et al. (2010). Development and validity of a 2-item screen to identify families at risk for food insecurity. Pediatrics. The University of California

UC basic needs surveys Student Food Access and Security Study (SFASS)   Student Food Access and Security Study (SFASS) Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) Graduate Student Well-Being Survey (GSWBS) Population Undergraduates & Graduates sample Undergraduates population Graduate sample Survey time April-May, 2015 March-August, 2016 Jan.- Apr., 2016 # Responses 8,932 63,132 6,764 Response Rate 14% 33% 50% Periodicity One-time administration Every two years Survey Module Six-item Two-item The University of California

UC basic needs surveys in the future   Undergraduate Graduate Survey Undergraduate Experience Survey Cost of Attendance Survey Module Six-item Administration Every two years The University of California

UC basic needs survey results Prevalence of food insecurity UC undergraduate and graduate students experienced. low food security 25% low food security 16% Very low food security 23% very low food security 9% The University of California

UC basic needs survey results Prevalence of food insecurity UC undergraduate and graduate students experienced. Global Food Infinitive: Food and Basic Needs Security at the University of California low food security 16% Very low food security 23% very low food security 9% A comprehensive basic needs report will be published soon. The University of California

Food Insecurity is unacceptably high among students Conclusion: Food Insecurity is unacceptably high among students low food security 16% Very low food security 23% Food insecurity was high and similarly, a recent study of California households found a similar prevalence in a similar age group The increased risk among black and white students is similar to findings in U.S. households Identifying students who were food insecure as children may be one way to ensure that students have the resources and services to be successful food secure students very low food security 9% The University of California

Structural Integration Micro-Macro Policy Engagement Cross-Sector Strategy National Collaborations Prospective Students New Admits 1st Year Experience CalFresh Skills/Services Emergency/Crisis Policies, structures, and decision making processes Directly and indirectly impact student basic needs Student Experience, Impact, Suggestions Deepen understanding Evaluation Reporting Research Structural Integration Advocacy Preventative Campus Model UC is #1 performing model May have funding to fund 1-2 of us to go to Philadelphia with Ruben to go to the conference in October Research: happens in 2 different levels: basic need (experience, challenge), administrative (policies, evaluation, performance, systems/solution to that challenge) Prevention model Integration: make sure this issue doesn’t just get resolved for current students, but that from here on out hunger/malnourishment/housing insecurity/homelessness are not going to be at such high levels). Want university experience to improve over time Advocacy: make sure all those three models/policies actually get integrated The University of California

All Students Basic Need Insecure Populations Pre UC Admissions Messaging 1st YR Experience UC CalFresh Basic Needs Skills Emergency Relief Crisis Resolution All Students Basic Need Insecure Populations nverse pyramid: campus preventative model. Largest population → crisis to most absolute population pre-UC = students are not getting prepared to support themselves and take care of basic needs. Missing curriculum on that. Admissions messaging: needs to be updated and include basic needs resources We want to make basic needs included in the post-SIR step. Basic Needs website needs to be legit so that the energy makes them feel good and supported. Blue = impacting whole population Gold = insecure students     CalFRESH: AB 1930 (clear guidance on exempting college students from 20-hr workweek. #1 Cal Grant A/B, #2 EOP/federal programs, #3 work-study package that shows need         Avg: $160-$170/month         Bear market will be EBT accessible. This next year will be trying to make GBC/other on-campus services EBT accessible.         Food assistance program: just like CalFRESH but for population that doesn’t qualify for CalFRESH     Food Pantry team/Carolyn is amazing     Skills Development: students need to learn about financial packages/personal finance use/food + cook on budget     Emergency Relief: Food pantry/quick + helpful + stable/people coming on emergency basis     Crisis Resolution: many different cases, life happens, students need help     The University of California

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