Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Activities and accomplishments in the first reporting year targeted multiple audiences: Target audience for research outputs: Researchers who study nutrition and health outcomes, particularly among college students. MSI Partner leads and data collectors at each MSI - ensuring that data collection tools are user friendly and responsive to researcher needs in the field while simultaneously ensuring data collection methods are capturing clearly defined and relevant inputs. Approval for research to go forward: Advisory Board - Inform advisory group of updates, changes and seek technical support for research activities. Human Research Protection Office teams and IRB reviewers - provided the necessary information and comprehensive IRB application for Exempt determination at each institution to proceed with responsible research. Changes/Problems:Changes: Addition of intercept interviewto better contextualize the food environment assessment data by getting input from students. Problems: No serious or insurmountable problems occurred in the first reporting year. As expected, building administration and communication structures took time. Some activities did take longer than anticipated including hiring the Program Manager at Tulane University, subaward execution and the IRB review of the Exempt determination application. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Tulane Senior Program Manager attended Human Research Protection Training for Researchers, an in-person half day training led by HRP Consultant Group in May 2024. Indiana University PD and two RAs attended "Food insecurity toolkit for educators" webinar, sponsored by the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Higher Education Division on April 19th, 2024. Research Assistants at CUNY participated in the Food Justice Leadership Advocacy Program, a workshop designed for prospective research assistants interested in food justice, Human Subjects Research and Human Subjects Research trainings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results from the first manuscript were published in the Journal of Nutrition, which is widely accessed by those in the nutrition community. Researchers who study nutrition and food security, particularly on college campuses, as well as those who study minority health outcomes will have access to this work. Further, the paper was deposited in the NAL PubAg repository for public access. Thismanuscript was also disseminated to the project's Advisory Board, composed of researchers and practitioners working on food insecurity and other aligned topics among college students. At California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), the Co-Investigator has integrated discussions of preliminary findings into both graduate and undergraduate classes. These findings highlight key aspects of the campus food environment, including the closure of campus restaurants in the evening and the limited availability of healthy food options in vending machines. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As per the proposed timeline, we completed objective #1 in Year 1, as explained above, and developed all the tools needed for Objective #2 data collection. The data collection and analysis for Objective #2 - food environment assessment, policy document analysis, and in-depth key informant interviews - is ongoing for Year 2, i.e., the next reporting period. Further, the intercept interviewdescribed above, which was not in the original proposal, will take place Spring 2025 with a goal of about 75 respondents from each of the five campuses. Exempt determinations from university IRBs have been granted at Tulane University, Indiana University, CUNY Lehman, and Xavier University. California State University Fullerton, University of Washington, CUNY Hostos, and CUNY Bronx Community College Exempt applications are in progress. In terms of dissemination, we anticipate the second manuscript mentioned above (focused on institutional factors associated with food insecurity, low fruit and vegetable consumption, and high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages among U.S. post-secondary students) to be published in Year 2. Further, we submitted an abstract to present at the ACHA Annual Meeting in May 2025 on October 2024. If accepted, this presentation will also be a Year 2 activity.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Operational Framework To conduct research effectively, we established and designed an administrative, communication, and leadership framework to execute the project's goals and objectives for the first year and beyond. The first year is critical for building the administrative foundation of the project. Subaward Agreements: Developed, negotiated, and fully executed signed subaward agreements with two universities for co-project directors--Chaparro at the University of Washington (UW) and Lederer at Indiana University (IU)--and three study sites: Knapp at Xavier University (XU), Nobari at California State University Fullerton (CSUF), and Galvez at City University of New York (CUNY). Senior Program Manager Recruitment: Recruited a Senior Program Manager at Tulane University (the lead site) in March 2024. This role oversees overall project management and coordination, Institutional Review Board (IRB) processes, project reporting, administrative coordination with subcontractors, and communication facilitation across the multi-site team. Team Coordination: Established a structured schedule of meetings to ensure smooth collaboration, including bi-weekly meetings with Core Team members and monthly meetings with the full research team (PDs and Co-Is). Advisory Board Formation: Identified and invited five members to serve on the Advisory Board. The first virtual meeting was held on April 9, 2024, with regular updates provided to board members via email. Research Assistant Recruitment: Two graduate-level research assistants (RAs) were hired at Indiana University in January/February 2024. RAs at IU primarily supported literature reviews and intercept and interview instrument development. The UW Co-Project Director worked with a graduate-level research assistant through the School of Public Health's Top Scholar Award (non-USDA funded). The student contributed to the NIFA-funded project, assisting in developing food environment data collection tools under one-on-one guidance. Recruitment for RA positions at CUNY, CSUF and Xavier took place July/August 2024. CUNY hired one graduate and two undergraduate students in August 2024. In September 2024, Xavier University hired three undergraduate RAs and CSUF hired 2 graduate-level RAs. These efforts have created the conditions necessary to achieve the Year 1 goals and objectives and advance the project successfully into Year 2 and Year 3. Data Analysis (Objective 1) To identify determinants and correlates of food insecurity and unhealthy dietary behaviors of college students at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), using national data from the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III (ACHA-NCHA III), a secondary analysis of the ACHA-NCHA III data was completed and two manuscripts were produced from the research. The first manuscript focused on comparing the prevalence of food insecurity among students at MSIs and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) across three distinct phases: Pre-pandemic (Fall 2019-Spring 2020), Early pandemic (Fall 2020-Spring 2021), Later pandemic (Fall 2021-Spring 2022). This manuscript has been published in the Journal of Nutrition (DOI:10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.06.009) and submitted to the National Agricultural Library (NAL) PubAg repository for public access. The second manuscript explored institutional factors associated with food insecurity, low fruit and vegetable consumption, and high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages among U.S. post-secondary students. This manuscript was submitted to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in July 2024 and it is currently under review. By highlighting the influence of institutional contexts and broader circumstances--such as the COVID-19 pandemic--on food security and dietary behaviors, these two manuscripts offer valuable insights to inform policies, programs, and future research. Food Environment Assessment Development (Objective 2) To evaluate the variation in food price and healthfulness across food establishments on each MSI campus, standardized food environment assessment tools were developed. Food environment assessment tools were either adapted from existing tools or created for the seven types of food establishments identified on the 5 campuses which are the focus of this study: restaurants, campus dining facilities, corner stores, food trucks, grab and go, vending machines, and food pantries. These tools were tested at food establishments at each MSI, and feedback was provided to the Core Team that took into consideration the unique environments on each campus. A training manual was created to train student Research Assistants in the use of these tools. Intercept InterviewDevelopment (Objective 2) To complement the food environment audits, the project team initiated the development of an intercept interview instrument in July 2024, which was not originally included in the study design. This intercept interviewis designed to gather students' perspectives on their campus's food environment, information that will be used to orient the stakeholder interviews scheduled for Year 2. IRB Review and Exempt Determination (Objective 2) Tulane University led the initial IRB application process for Exempt determination. The application package was submitted in July 2024, and Exempt status was granted in August 2024. The process involved developing all necessary documents and protocols for submission to the Tulane Human Research Protection Office (HRPO). These included interview recruitment materials, facilitator guides for interviews and focus groups, consent scripts, and the HRPO protocol. All documents and the Exempt determination letter were shared with the Project Directors and Co-Investigators at each partner institution to assist with their IRB application processes.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Freije SL, Lederer AM, Rose D, Chaparro MP. A comparison of food insecurity prevalence among students attending minority serving versus predominately white institutions in pre, earlier, and later phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. J Nutr. 2024;154:3125-3132.
|