Food insecurity affects up to 50% of college students, with African American and Hispanic/Latino students experiencing it 1.5 times more often than their non-Hispanic White and Asian counterparts. That puts them at greater risk for not just health problems, but also depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, stress and poorer academic performance. […]

Poor mental health among young adults is on the upswing. Data from a large national study of college students found that in the last 10 years, depression is up over 134 percent, anxiety 109 percent and suicidal ideation 64 percent. While more and more students are seeking help for mental […]

Pandemic-related food insecurity and its impact on college students According to data collected in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic by researchers at the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, three in five college students experienced basic needs insecurity, with food insecurity affecting 44 percent of students at […]

College students consume more fruits and vegetables when they exhibit higher health literacy, according to a research study done by USF College of Public Health’s Dr. Alison Oberne, instructor II and director of the bachelor of science in public health program. Oberne explored this association in, “Does health literacy affect […]

Dr. Rita DeBate, a USF College of Public Health (COPH) professor, strives to make students more aware of the importance of mental health. She recently won the Weiss Writing Prize for a mental health intervention she organized on the USF campus. The Weiss Writing Prize is an honor awarded to the […]