• RojasDaniel EgañaDEDepartment of Primary Care and Family Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile., EspinozaPatricia GálvezPGDepartment of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile., Fabian Duarte Vásquez, and Lorena Rodríguez-Osiac.
• Department of Primary Care and Family Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
• Rev Med Chil. 2023 Mar 1; 151 (3): 296305296-305.

BackgroundFood and nutrition were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing levels of food insecurity. University students were a risk group for food insecurity due to the closure of educational establishments where they received their main meals.AimTo assess food insecurity among Chilean public university students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Material And MethodsThe study had a non-probabilistic before-and-after design. Undergraduate students from all colleges at the university were invited to answer an online survey about food insecurity, devised based on FAO Food Insecurity Experience Scale.ResultsNine hundred and one students answered the survey. The prevalence of moderate/severe food insecurity increased from 9.5% to 14.3% before and during the pandemic, respectively. Forty two percent (n = 196) of student households became food insecure during the sanitary crisis. Students commented on the positive and negative aspects of the pandemic in their eating behaviors.ConclusionsUndergraduate students are vulnerable to food insecurity. Mitigation actions should be carried out when educational establishments are closed.

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