ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY AMONG MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING COVID-19: IMPLICATIONS FOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity among populations globally, including university students. Despite the potential impact of food insecurity on academic performance among university students, there is a limited body of research exploring this relationship in Malaysia. To address this gap in knowledge, this cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between food insecurity and academic performance among 300 undergraduate students from selected public universities in Malaysia. A self-administered online survey was utilized to collect data on demographic and socioeconomic factors, food security status, and academic performance, which was evaluated using the CGPA. The USDA Food Security Survey Module was employed to determine food security status. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. The results indicated that the majority of participants had a marginal level of food security (38.0%), followed by a high level (31.0%), low level (21.7%), and very low level (9.3%). The most prevalent CGPA range was 3.50 to 4.00 (45.3%). The results showed a statistically significant association between food insecurity and CGPA among Malaysian university students, χ2(1, n=300) = 7.739 and p = 0.021. These findings highlight the importance of addressing food insecurity among university students in Malaysia, as it may have negative consequences for academic performance. Further research is needed to determine the underlying mechanisms linking food insecurity and academic performance, as well as to identify effective intervention strategies to mitigate this relationship and improve the food security and academic outcomes of university students in Malaysia.