Abstract:
US postsecondary students face disproportionately high food insecurity rates, two to eight times higher than
the 2021 rate for US households. Food insecurity among college students not only threatens educational
attainment but perpetuates health disparities, particularly among lower-income, racial/ethnic minority, and first-
generation students due to historical discrimination. Food insecurity has been associated with poorer physical
and mental health outcomes, leading to decreased academic performance, retention, and graduation rates.
Existing solutions to the problem are limited, and research is scarce. Food pantries, though the most
commonly used approach, often fall short due to their reliance on donations, inability to improve students'
nutritional behaviors or environments, and associated stigma. Students report shame, embarrassment, and
fear of judgment as common barriers. This research proposes an innovative shift from merely providing
emergency food assistance to promoting nutrition security. It plans to adapt the Veggie Van —an evidence-
based approach to increasing access to healthy food in underserved communities— to a college context.
Veggie Van is a mobile produce market intervention supported by over ten years of efficacy, effectiveness, and
implementation research. The adapted intervention will be tested at the University at Buffalo, the largest
university in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, known for its diverse student population. The
study will utilize implementation science adaptation frameworks to assess needs, engage stakeholders,
monitor and document adaptations, and evaluate the effects of adaptations. In Aim 1, a campus-wide online
survey will assess students' nutrition security status. Complementing this, a series of in-depth interviews will be
conducted to identify barriers and facilitators to nutrition insecurity among students experiencing food
insecurity. We will further invite students to join an advisory board to review the survey and interview findings
and guide preliminary adaptations to the Veggie Van model. In Aim 2, the adapted Campus Veggie Van will be
piloted to explore its effect on fruit and vegetable consumption and nutrition security among food-insecure
students using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. For Aim 3, semistructured interviews with
stakeholders and focus groups with Veggie Van customers will be used to identify adaptations to the Campus
Veggie Van necessary for increasing program feasibility, acceptability, and usage in a campus setting.
Findings from this study will be used to develop an adaptable model that targets the needs of students facing
nutrition insecurity and provides consistent access to fresh fruits and vegetables and support for healthy
eating. Ultimately, aligning with the National Strategy on Hunger and Nutrition, and focusing on student dignity
and participation, this model can be used to enhance campus nutrition security nationwide. The model will be
tested in a future cluster randomized trial, and disseminated through our existing Veggie Van Training Center,
providing training, assistance, monitoring, and evaluation for new campus Veggie Vans.
