The association between COVID-19-related employment challenges and students' dietary intake in the United States

Introduction: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected income levels, employment status, and food intakes globally. In the United States (US), many university students work to fund their studies. The objective of this study was to assess the number of students whose work hours and income were affected by COVID-19 and to investigate if these factors were associated with dietary intake. Methods: An online questionnaire was administered using Qualtrics to 280 students at a public research university in Texas between November 2020 and March 2021. Chi-square tests of independence were performed on R version 4.0.3. Results: Preliminary analysis found that 45.2% had a change in income or employment status that was related to COVID-19 and 36.9% of the students had experienced a COVID-19 related reduction in working hours. There was an association between reduced working hours and fast-food intake (X2 =12.494, p = 0.014). Additionally, COVID-related changes in income/ employment status were associated with snack and dessert consumption (X2 = 21.06, p = 0.021). No significant associations were found between either income/employment status or reduced working hours, and home-cooked meals or fruit and vegetable intake. Conclusion: The results suggest that employment challenges related to COVID-19 have an association with students' dietary intake, specifically in relation to higher calorie foods such as snacks, desserts, and fast food.