Educating the Empty Stomach Prevalence of Food Accessibility Among College of Business Education Students in Tanzania

Abstract

The prevalence of food insecurity among college students has received little attention in academic literature, despite previous studies suggesting increased risk and potentially high rates of food insecurity among students. This study assessed the prevalence of food inaccessibility among the college students, and explored its relationship with socio-demographic characteristics. A cross-section design was applied and data were gathered from a random sample of 287 undergraduate bachelor students using a standard questionnaire which included the three domains from the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Descriptive analysis was conducted using SPSS version 20. Using the HFIAS tool, about 43% of the surveyed students were not experiencing food accessibility. Overall, more than a half (57%) of all students who were not experiencing food accessibility were males. Year three students were relatively better compared to year one and year two students. Students residing on-campus or with parents experienced food accessibility than those staying off campus alone. Also, students who sourced most of their income from salaried jobs were better off than those depending on a lover or Higher Education Students’ Loans Board. To conclude, inadequate food accessibility is a significant problem among students in this college. Future studies need to investigate the impact of food insecurity on college students’ academic performance and formulate strategies to reduce the problem and its consequences.