The Role of Food Insecurity and Unmet Basic Needs In Mental Health and Loneliness Among Future Health Professionals

Background and Purpose: Food insecurity on university campuses has evolved into a critical social justice and public health crisis. Beyond the immediate nutritional deficits, literature suggests that food insecurity functions as a structural determinant that severely undermines student well-being and academic success. Research documents that food-insecure students experience disproportionate rates of psychological distress. Furthermore, social exclusion attached to material hardship can leave students feeling invisible and unsupported, potentially fostering a profound sense of loneliness and disconnection from the campus community. Grounded in a person-in-environment framework, this study aims to examine the complex relationships between food insecurity, mental health, and loneliness among students in health and professional programs, a population often burdened by high debt and rigorous academic demands.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized survey data from students in health and professional programs at a public urban university (N=288). The data were collected via online platform between November and December 2025. The dependent variables included (1) mental health and (2) loneliness. Mental health was assessed using the PHQ-4, measuring symptoms of depression and anxiety over the past two weeks on a 4-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater symptoms. Loneliness was measured using the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, which captures connectedness and perceived social isolation; higher scores reflect greater loneliness. The independent variable, food insecurity, was measured using the USDA 10-item Adult Food Security Survey Module, assessing food availability and the ability to obtain food over the past 12 months. We conducted multiple regression analyses: Model 1 predicted mental health and Model 2 predicted loneliness. Both models controlled for sociodemographic characteristics, academic status, unmet basic needs, presence of educational debts, general health status. No multicollinearity issues were detected.

Results: The sample was 76% graduate students, with over 64% identifying as racial or ethnic minorities. Approximately 33% of students experienced food insecurity, 45% reported other unmet basic needs, and 67% held education-related debt. The average scores were 4.11 (SD=3.02; range 0-12) for the PHQ scale and 4.91 (SD=1.86; range 3-9) for loneliness. Model 1 (R²= .15) demonstrated that food insecurity was significantly associated with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms (b= 1.06, p= .02), controlling for other factors. Conversely, Model 2 (R²= .15) presented no significant association between food insecurity and loneliness (b= .28, p= .32). In addition, the number of unmet basic needs was a consistently significant predictor in both Model 1 (b= .56, p= .01) and Model 2 (b= .28, p= .03).

Discussion and Implications: These findings suggest that food insecurity is a key driver of psychological distress, whereas its direct association with loneliness was not supported. The consistent effects of unmet basic needs highlight the cumulative burden of material precarity on student well-being. Implications point to the need for institutions to move beyond isolated food pantry approaches toward comprehensive basic needs frameworks, integrating coordinated supports with campus mental health services to more effectively serve high-risk students.