Exploring the Interaction Between Sex and Socioeconomic Status in Relation to Food Insecurity and Unhealthy Lifestyles Among Indonesian Postgraduate Students

Food Insecurity (FI) is a major public health concern, with university students being a particularly vulnerable group. This study explores the interaction between sex and socioeconomic status (SES) in relation to FI and examines how FI relates to unhealthy lifestyles among Indonesian postgraduate students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using social media platforms, followed by follow-up interviews by trained nutritionist. This study collect data from both overseas and local Indonesian postgraduate students aged above 19 years. The questionnaire including: Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-42); Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS); International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF), and Diet Diversity Scores (DDS) were calculated based on one day (twenty-four hours) of dietary recall. Multiple logistic regression was employed to analyze the relationship between FI and unhealthy lifestyles. The prevalence of FI among postgraduate students was 21.3%. Female postgraduate students had a 53.5%, doctoral degree students had a 60.4%, those with one or more children had a 68.6%, and students overseas had a 57.8% lower risk of experiencing FI. Postgraduate students with FI had a 5.850-fold increased odds of experiencing anxiety and a 3.86-fold increased odds of experiencing depression after adjusting for covariates. FI was negatively associated with the intake frequency of fruits after adjusting for covariates. Female postgraduate students were at a lower risk of FI, especially those with one or more children, pursuing doctoral degrees, or studying overseas. FI among postgraduate students was associated with increased odds of anxiety and depression, and reduced fruit consumption. Promoting sexual equality in SES may reduce FI among females and improve health outcomes.