ABSTRACT
Objectives The prevalence of food insecurity and high stress rose among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, there is limited research on the prevalence among health professions students. This study investigated the association between self-reported impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress and food security among health professions students in a Northeastern university. Methods This secondary analysis used data from a cross-sectional web-based survey conducted between January and March 2021. The survey included questions on sociodemographic characteristics, food security status, and factors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as stress. Food security status over the past 12 months was determined with the Six-Item U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module (USDA HFSS-6). Non-parametric statistics were used to analyze the research questions. Results Of the 650 participants, 72% were female (n = 468);85% were graduate students (n = 555). Twenty-one percent (n = 139) were food insecure. Eighty-eight percent of participants (n = 570) self-reported that the COVID-19 pandemic increased their level of stress;14% (n = 95) self-reported that the pandemic made them more food insecure. A significantly higher percentage of participants (95%) who were food insecure reported increased levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to those who were food secure (86%) (p = 0.01), which may have been affected by changes in employment and location of residence. There was no significant association between the self-reported impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and stress (p = 0.18). Conclusions 1 in 5 health professions students had food insecurity and those who were food insecure reported higher levels of overall stress than those who were food secure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should use larger samples and evaluate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on FI and stress among health professions and other students. Funding Sources Internal.
ABSTRACT
Adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) may experience enteral nutrition (EN) intolerance. They often require mechanical ventilation and other specialized management including prone positioning. There is a controversy as to whether patients fed in prone position experience more EN intolerance than when they are in supine position. This narrative review synthesizes the literature published between 2001 and 2021 in adults with ARDS who are fed EN while in the prone position to determine safety and tolerance. A case of an adult patient with Down syndrome who developed ARDS due to COVID-19 and required EN while in prone position is presented.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of food insecurity and the factors associated with it among health sciences graduate students. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based survey conducted in 2019 on an urban health sciences campus of a large, public northeastern university among health sciences graduate students. Food security status was assessed using the US Department of Agriculture validated 6-item short-form food security module. RESULTS: Of the 302 respondents (response rate, 8.8%), the mean age ± SD was 28.8 ± 7.30 years; 28.5% were food insecure. After adjusting for other covariates, receiving loans was independently associated with higher odds of being food insecure (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Universities may consider screening graduate students for food insecurity risk, especially those receiving student loans. Future research on this topic with graduate students and program administrators in other universities may help identify potential interventions. The impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on food insecurity among graduate students merit exploration to develop context-specific interventions.