Food Insecurity at CSUSB: 

Utilizing The DEN as a Resource 

 
 
 
 
 
The impact of a food insecurity public service announcement 
(PSA), highlighting The DEN Food Pantry, on the knowledge, 
attitude, and practice of college students at CSUSB: results of a 
pre-post quasi experimental study.

Authors and Affiliations

Jerry Aneke MPH(c), Aleka Arredondo MPH(c), Suborna Bhattacharjee MPH(c), Anabel
Castaneda MPH(c), Niani Coker MPH(c), Farhan Danish MPH(c)

Department of Health and Human Ecology

California State University, San Bernardino

Key words: ​college student, knowledge, attitude, practice, food insecurity, public health,
public service announcement
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract………………………………………………………………………... 2

Background………………………………………...…………………………. 3

Methods…………………………………………………………………………5

Results…………………………………………………………………………..6

Discussion………………………………………………………………………7

References………………………………………………………………….….10

Appendix……………………………………………………………………..…11

Tables/Figures…………………………………………….………..…11

Data Dictionary………………………………..………….………..…19
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ABSTRACT

Objective:​ The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of our public service

announcement (PSA), which highlights The CSUSB Obershaw DEN Food Pantry (The DEN) as

a resource to students, on the knowledge, attitude, and practice of college students at CSUSB

regarding food insecurity.

Methods:​ A pre-survey and post-survey addressing knowledge, attitude and practices

concerning food insecurity was developed and disseminated to 27 college students from the

undergraduate health science class, HSCI 451, at CSUSB. The pre-survey was administered to

the students before watching the PSA and the post-survey was administered immediately after

the PSA. All analyses were conducted in SPSS version 24 and significance was set at ​p​ < 0.5.

Results: ​Our ​p ​value was 0.815, so our results were not significant. Demographic findings

showed that 8% of the respondents were second-year students, 28% were third-year students,

36% were fourth-year students, and 28% were 4+ year students. Before the PSA was

administered, 44% of the students had no prior knowledge about the services provided by The

DEN. The results showed that 24% of the students felt uncomfortable utilizing assistance

programs and 32% of the students felt slightly uncomfortable utilizing assistance programs.

Prior to viewing the PSA, 76% of the student population surveyed had not visited The DEN .

Conclusions: ​Although the pre- and post survey questions were effective in acquiring

information addressing knowledge, attitude, and practice concerning food insecurity, they were

not effective in assessing the effectiveness of the PSA. Some strengths in our study are that our

pre- and post-survey questions addressed food insecurity in a way that highlighted specific

impacts on college students in the CSU system. Some limitations include population sample

size, selection bias and interpretation bias. Further large-scale studies are necessary in order to

confirm the results and to determine which types of public health interventions would be most
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effective in addressing food insecurity among college students.

BACKGROUND

Food insecurity is defined by Healthy People 2020 as the disruption of food intake or eating

patterns due to lack of money and other resources and is a national public health concern (Food

Insecurity n.d.). Studies continue to demonstrate that food insecurity warrants attention and

intervention, especially when it comes to ensuring college student’s academic success. Food

insecurity is a dynamic, complex issue associated with health, educational, and economic

factors. Food insecurity of any severity impacts families and communities in multiple ways

(Browne 2017). Food insecurity has been shown to be a contributing factor to chronic diseases

including cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression, and chronic stress as well as negatively

impacts behavioral patterns among adults and children. College student populations are

specifically at risk for being food insecure and is a large component of the basic needs

assessment for California State Universities. Based on a Facts and Stats Report on studies

show that 42% of CSU students and 23% of CSUSB (California State University, San

Bernardino) students report experiencing food insecurity (Crutchfield 2018). Chronic hunger or

malnutrition can cause both cognitive and physical fatigue; dealing with food insecurity and the

stress that often comes with malnutrition, many CSUSB students are unable to perform

academically at their highest capability (​Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

2018)​. By working to reduce or eliminate food insecurity on our campus, we can help to

eliminate barriers to student success thereby increasing capacity for student academic

achievement. In order to address this problem, we proposed an intervention program targeting

CSUSB students that addresses food insecurity. Our program serves to communicate the

importance of addressing the issue and aims to fill the need for knowledge while impacting
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attitudes and practices. The program we designed utilized a strategic analysis of our target

population in order to develop a brief but engaging and informative public service

announcement. We also administered a pre- and post-survey on the HSCI 315 class of

undergraduate students and a pilot study for our HSCI 617 class. Our PSA addressed food

insecurity for college students at CSUSB and highlighted The Obershaw DEN Food Pantry as a

resource.

Purpose Statement: ​What is the impact of a public service announcement highlighting The

Obershaw Den Food pantry, on the knowledge, attitude, and practices of college students at

California State University, San Bernardino?

The goal of our intervention is to increase knowledge and awareness about food insecurity and

its negative impacts on students; highlight a campus resource available to the CSUSB

community, The Obershaw DEN Food Pantry (The DEN); and reduce the stigma associated

with food insecurity. The DEN intends to address the basic needs issue of food insecurity at

CSUSB by delivering emergency nourishment for students. It provides nutritious foods which

includes everything from non-perishables, fresh produce, ready-to-eat meals, and toiletries for

all students. Promoting The DEN is therefore our effort. Many CSUSB students are either

unaware of existence of The DEN as a resource or feel embarrassed about utilizing its wide

range of services. Our intervention addresses knowledge by sharing statistics on the negative

impact of food insecurity as well as showcasing The DEN and its services and addresses

attitude through the use of an educational PSA and survey tools. We advocate for the continued

utilization of our PSA and surveys at CSUSB as this will garner greater awareness of The DEN

and decrease the stigma of food insecurity by helping build a culture where food insecurity is

address openly and strategically. This will further our mission to reduce food insecurity for

students at CSUSB.
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METHODS

Data Source

Data was collected by administering surveys in two phases. The 27 survey participants included

were enrolled in an undergraduate Health Science class at California State University, San

Bernardino (CSUSB). The first phase consisted of conducting a pre-survey prior to showing the

program instrument public service announcement (PSA). The short and informative PSA was

shown after all study participants had completed the pre-survey. Immediately after the PSA, a

secondary post-survey was administered to determine the instrument’s effectiveness.

Variables

The surveys and PSA were designed to collect data on knowledge, attitude, and practice

regarding food insecurity and using The DEN as a means of a reliable nutritional assistance

resource. The pre-survey consisted of twenty questions: seven questions focused on practice,

three addressed knowledge, five highlighted attitude, and the remaining three questions were

designed to gather demographic information of the sample population. The post-survey

consisted of eight follow up questions: four questions focused on practice, one question

addressed change in knowledge, and three questions were designed as open-ended questions

to gather detailed information of attitudes toward using The DEN Food Pantry as a campus

resource. To collect rich data variables (knowledge, practice, and attitude) were recorded using

either multiple choice or open ended responses.

Data Analyses

Initially, the data was recorded into an excel file to be imported into SPSS. Multiple questions

where changed from the original structure of the surveys to align with nominal or ordinal variable

inputs of SPSS. These changes included questions 5 and 8 of the post survey. Additionally, the
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open-ended responses where thematically coded to fit either ordinal or nominal variables inputs.

The first step in the data analysis were descriptive frequencies, more specifically, running a

crosstabs along with graphs of the demographic information recorded to determine specific

changes between different college levels of education (first year, second year, third year, and

fourth year or greater). Secondly, bivariate tests were run to analyze attitude amongst different

levels of education, specifically a Chi-square, McNemar, and Fisher’s Exact test were all ran.

Finally, the results of these tests were utilized to analyze knowledge of The DEN prior to and

after our intervention, the PSA.

RESULTS

A. Descriptive Data

1. Demographics Information - The demographics information on the level of

education of our sample population resulted in 8% second-year students, 28%

third-and fourth-year students, and 36% of the group were students who have

been at CSUSB for 4+ years (see Appendix).

B. Bivariate Data

1. Descriptive Statistics: Attitude (see Appendix) - 24% of the respondents reported

being uncomfortable in using and accessing assistance programs and 32% of the

respondents reported feeling doubtful with accessing assistance programs. There

was no significant change with the attitude even with the level of education about

the use of assistance programs among CSUSB students. Using the Chi-square,

McNemar and Fisher’s Exact tests, it was found that the ​p ​value is above 0.05.

2. Descriptive Statistics: Knowledge and Practice (see Appendix) - Significant

results were obtained based on the question highlighting ‘Use of the Services of
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the DEN’. 85% of the respondents answered positively in the post-survey

compared to the pre-survey where answers were staggered. Based on the

post-survey conducted, all participants in our study sample knew of the allocated

resource for food insecurity an CSUS, The Obershaw DEN Food Pantry.

When comparing the pre- and post-survey by using McNemar’s, Chi-Square, and Fisher’s Exact

test, the questions addressing knowledge were greater than the p value of .05 resulting in

insignificant data. However, the overall trending characteristics concluded significant results

based on Question 27, 20 and 21 (see Appendix). Prior to the administration of the PSA, 44% of

the respondents had no knowledge about the services provided by The DEN at CSUSB while a

staggering 76% of the respondents had not visited nor utilized any of the resources provided by

The DEN at CSUSB prior to the PSA.

DISCUSSION

Data Interpretation

Descriptive Data: ​Demographic information demonstrated that there is an association between

knowledge of the CSUSB campus resource, The DEN, with the level of education (number of

academic years) each participant had attended CSUSB. Our sample population showed 8%

second-year students, 28% third-and fourth-year students, and 36% of the group were students

who have been at CSUSB for 4+ years (Appendix, Figure 1).

Bivariate Data: ​Descriptive Statistics addressing attitude show that 24% of the respondents

reported being uncomfortable in using and accessing assistance programs and 32% of the

respondents reported feeling doubtful with accessing assistance programs. There was no

significant change with the attitude even with the level of education about the use of assistance
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programs among CSUSB students. Using the Chi-square, McNemar and Fisher’s Exact tests, it

was found that the ​p v​ alue is above 0.05. (Appendix, Figure 3)

Descriptive Statistics addressing Knowledge and Practice show significant results based on the

question highlighting ‘Use of the Services of the DEN’. 85% of the respondents answered

positively in the post-survey compared to the pre-survey where answers were staggered. Based

on the post-survey, all participants in our study sample knew of the allocated resource for food

insecurity an CSUS, The Obershaw DEN Food Pantry. (Appendix, Figures 2, 4 and 6)

Survey Validation: ​When comparing the pre- and post-survey by using McNemar’s,

Chi-Square, and Fisher’s Exact test, the questions addressing knowledge were greater than the

p value of .05 resulting in insignificant data. However, the overall trending characteristics

concluded significant results based on Question 27, 20 and 21 (Appendix, Figure 7). Prior to the

administration of the PSA, 44% of the respondents had no knowledge about the services

provided by The DEN at CSUSB while a staggering 76% of the respondents had not visited nor

utilized any of the resources provided by The DEN at CSUSB prior to the PSA.

Limitations

Limitations of our data include our limited sample size, collection bias and survey language. Our

sample size was limited as it we only surveyed a small group of 27 participants. Bias for this

study’s sample population is that all 27 study participants were undergraduate students from

one Health Science course taught at CSUSB. Many of those students may have had prior

knowledge or The DEN and may have answered questions in a way that would not necessarily

reflect the general population of students at CSUSB. We found difficulty pulling concrete data

from our pre- and post-survey in order to statistically assess the impact on knowledge, attitude,

and practice about The DEN as a direct result of watching our PSA. This was due to slightly

varying pre- and post-survey questions. The language used in our post-survey correlated to
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language used in our pre-survey however, our questions were not an exact match and therefore

left room for researcher interpretation. Results from our pre- and post-survey did not show direct

significant impact from having watched our PSA.

Implications

It is clear that food insecurity shapes the personal and academic progress of CSU students

therefore, efforts to increase support and resources for students who face food insecurity to

increase holistic student success are necessary. It is known that barriers that impact CSU

students utilization of resources, such as The DEN, include stigmas associated with food

insecurity and assistance programs as well as a lack of knowledge of the available resources at

CSUSB. The PSA was developed as an intervention with the goals of increasing the knowledge

about the need for a healthy diet and the food insecurity that impacts CSUSB student; address

the stigma associated with utilizing services and resources; and encouraging the increase of

visitation and utilization of services offered by The DEN. Our pre- and post-survey addressed

knowledge, attitude and practices regarding healthy eating, food insecurity and campus

resources however, the language utilized did not provide strong data that converted whether the

PSA intervention was effective.

Future Direction

Based on the data obtained, target strategies are needed to address the student populations

that reported the highest levels of knowledge deficit such as first-year students. In addition,

longitudinal research can help determine educational, professional, health and personal

outcomes for students beyond today in order to increase student academic success rates.

Finally, there is a need to identify and institute campaigns to develop a campus culture of

awareness and response to support students who experience food insecurity.

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References

Browne, N. T. (n.d.). Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic revision of

Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: E7720.

https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720. doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f

Crutchfield, R. & Maguire, J. (2018). California State University Office of the Chancellor Study of

Student Basic Needs. Retrieved from ​https://www.csusb.edu/about-csusb/facts-and-stats

Crutchfield, R., Clark, K., Gamez, S., Green, A., Munson, D., & Stribling, H. (2016). Serving

Displaced and Food Insecure Students in the CSU. Retrieved from

https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/student-success/basic-needs-initiative/Docu

ments/ServingDisplacedandFoodInsecureStudetnsintheCSUJanuary20163.8.16.pdf

Crutchfield, R. & Maguire, J. (2018). California State University Office of the Chancellor

Study of Student Basic Needs. Retrieved from

https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/student-success/basic-needs-initiative/Do

cuments/BasicNeedsStudy_phaseII_withAccessibilityComments.pdf

Browne, Nancy. (2017). Food Insecurity: Assessment and Intervention. Journal of Pediatric

Surgical Nursing, 6(1), 7-10.

Food Insecurity. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/in

terventions-resources/food-insecurity

Feeding America. (2018). ​Hunger in California​. Retrieved from

http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/california/

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2018). ​Nutrition and Weight Status.​

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/nutrition-and-weight-status/objective

s
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APPENDIX
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Data Dictionary  
Data Dictionary: Food Insecurity Among CSUSB Students
HSCI 612: Public Health Statistics
Dr. Sen Padilla
March 2019
csusb.edu
Contact Info:
Department of Health Science & Human Ecology
California State University San Bernardino
5500 University Pkwy
San Bernardino, CA 92407

"Knowledge is food for the mind, without food for the body, learning is impossible." Charles Obershaw

DEMOGRAPHIC
Q14: ​Which best describes your level of education? [Range: 1-5]
[1] First Year
[2] Second Year
[3] Third Year
[4] Fourth Year
[5] Four + years

Q15: ​What is your age range? [Range: 1-4]

[1] Less than 18
[2] 18-25
[3] 26-30
[4] Over 30

Q16: ​What is your ethnicity? [Range: 1-5]

[1] White (non-Hispanic)
[2] Black/African American
[3] Asian, Pacific Islander/ Hawaiian Native
[4] Hispanic/Latino
[5] Other: _______________________________
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Q17: ​How close do you live to the nearest grocery store? [Range: 1-4]
[1] 0-5 miles
[2] 5-10 miles
[3] 10-15 miles
[4] more than 15 miles

Q18: ​Do you currently live on campus? [Range: 1-2]

[1] Yes
[2] No

PRACTICE
Q1: ​In the last 12 months, did you or any other adults in your household ever cut the
size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn’t enough food? [Range: 1-3]
[1] Yes
[2] No
[3] Unknown

Q2: ​Please circle any of the following services you currently use to prepare meals.
[Range: 1-5]
[1] SNAP (e.g., CalFresh)
[2] W.I.C.
[3] National School Lunch Program
[4] Food assistance available from my​ ​community church
[5] A food bank or food pantry in​ ​my school or community

Q9: ​Approximately how often do you eat “junk food”? [Range: 1-4]
[1] Everyday
[2] 1-2 times a week
[3] 1-2 times a month
[4] Never

Q10: ​In the last 12 months, have you experienced an inability to afford balanced meals?
[Range: 1-3]
[1] Often
[2] Sometimes
[3] Never
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Do you have anything to add about your answer?
_______________________________

Q11: ​Are you able to prepare and store perishable foods (stove, microwave,
refrigerator/freezer, etc.)? [Range: 1-3]
[1] Yes
[2] No
[3] Somewhat

Q12: ​Do you prepare your meals from scratch? [Range: 1-4]
[1] Often
[2] Sometimes
[3] Rarely
[4] Never

Q20: ​Have you ever visited The Obershaw DEN at CSUSB? [Range: 1-2]
[1] Yes
[2] No

Q22: ​What is the most likely resource you would use from The DEN? [Range:1-4]
1] Quick meals
[2] Groceries
[3] Toiletries
[4] Other: _____________________________________

Q23: ​After watching the PSA, how likely are you to begin or continue eating
healthy?[range:1-4]
[1] Very Likely
[2] Likely
[3] Neutral
[4] Unlikely - If unlikely, please explain: _____________________________________

Q24: ​After watching the PSA, how likely are you to seek nutrition and/or health
education?[Range 1-4]
[1] Very Likely
[2] Likely
[3] Neutral
[4] Unlikely - If unlikely,​ explain​ ​why: ________________________________________
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Q27: ​After watching the PSA, do you plan to visit The Obershaw DEN at
CSUSB?[Range 1-2]
[1] Yes
[2] No

KNOWLEDGE
Q3: ​How knowledgeable are you about the services that The Obershaw DEN provides?
[Range: 1-4]
[1] Very knowledgeable
[2] Somewhat knowledgeable
[3] Hardly knowledgeable
[4] Not knowledgeable

Q7: ​On a scale from 1 to 5 (1-Uncomfortable to 5 - Very Comfortable), how comfortable

are you with your knowledge of food safety and preparation? Circle one. [Range: 1-5]
Scale: 1 2 3 4 5

Q19: ​Prior to today, did you know about The Obershaw DEN at CSUSB? [Range: 1-3]
[1] Yes
[2] No
[3] Somewhat

Q26: ​After watching the PSA, do you feel informed about the importance of healthy
meals? [Range: 1-2]
[1] Yes
[2] No

ATTITUDE
Q4: ​Do you think that The DEN could provide you with the food to prepare a healthy
meal? [Range: 1-3]
[1] Yes
[2] No
[3] Unknown

Q5: ​Do you feel uncomfortable receiving​ ​help from nutritional assistance programs?
[Range: 1-3]
[1] Yes
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[2] No
[3] Maybe
Do you have anything to add about your answer? _____________________________

Q6: ​If you had access to healthy food, how motivated would you be to eat healthy
meals? [Range: 1-4]
[1] Very motivated
[2] Somewhat motivated
[3] Hardly motivated
[4] Not at all

Q8: ​How important is it for you to eat healthy? [Range: 1-4]

[1] Very important
[2] Somewhat important
[3] Not that important
[4] Not at all important

Q13: ​If nutrition education services were available to you, how likely are you to
participate? [Range: 1-4]
[1] Very Likely
[2] Likely
[3] Neutral
[4] Unlikely - If unlikely, please state why:
________________________________________

Q21: ​After watching the PSA, has your perception changed about the topic of food
insecurity among college students? [Range: 1-2]
[1] Yes
[2] No

Q25: ​How can we reduce social stigma of nutritional assistance use, from SNAP
benefits to food pantries? Rang [1-4]
[1] Promote social benefits
[2] No comment
[3] No change needed
[4] Reduce Stigma

Q28: ​Do you have any comments about our PSA? Rane [1-3]
[1]Very useful
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[2] No Comment
[3] Needs more info