GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL NARRATIVE

Instructions: Please respond to the following as clearly as possible. The Narrative should include a step by step
plan of how you will obtain your subjects, conduct the research and analyze the data. Make sure the narrative
clearly explains aspects of the methodology that provide protections for your human subjects. Your narrative
should be written to be read and understood by a general audience who does not have prior knowledge of your
research and by committee members who may not be expert in your specific field of research. Your reviewers will
only have the information you provide in your application. Explain any technical terms, jargon or acronyms. The
narrative is a part of the complete application.

The application may be submitted electronically at irb@georgiasouthern.edu (email attachment) or sent to the
Office of Research Integrity, at PO Box 8005, Statesboro, GA 30460, fax (912) 478-0719.

Personnel. Please list any individuals who will be conducting research on this study. Also please detail the
experience, level of involvement in the process, and the access to information that each may have.

On behalf of the Public Health & Community Nutrition graduate class, the following co-investigators will be
conducting research for the proposed study: Carrie Briscoe, Heather Carver, Krista Faircloth, Marissa Fall, Sarah
Gibson, Michala Howard, Keyaira Hunt, Leah Johnson, Madeline Lasell, Jessica Lawless, Jordan Lord, La'Darius
Madison, Lauren Mitchell, Lindsey Morse, Brittany Roley, Bethany Soph, Kasey Strouse, Samantha To, Emily
Tyus, and Sydney White. The class instructor, Becky Larson, will serve as Principal Investigator throughout the
duration of this study.

Co-investigators will compile a survey using self-produced demographic questions modeled after questions from the
publication Hunger on Campus: The Challenge of Food Insecurity for College Students and other studies on college
student food insecurity, as well as questions pulled directly from the USDAs U.S. Adult Food Security Survey.
Survey questions will be entered into Qualtrics, an online research survey platform. From Provost and Vice
President of Academic Affairs at Georgia Southern, Dr. Jean Bartels, co-investigators will obtain a list of students
campus emails, to which an email detailing the project will be disseminated. The email will further describe the
associated risks and measures of confidentiality. Per campus survey distribution policy, co-investigators will seek
written approval from the University President prior to dissemination.

Co-investigators will obtain participant survey data from Qualtrics, using the platforms anonymous function. All
raw data will be exported from the secure Qualtrics server to a password protected computer for storage and further
data management. The collected survey responses will be used to conduct a formal data analysis. Data will be
housed on a password-protected computer, solely accessible to members of the research team. At the conclusion of
the semester, the Principal Investigator will retain exclusive access to the data and its analysis. The following will be
at the discretion of the Principal Investigator: 1) who will have access to the data following the termination of study,
and 2) how the data will continue to be used in the future.

Purpose. 1. Briefly describe in one or two sentences the purpose of your research. 2. What questions are you
trying to answer in this experiment? Please include your hypothesis in this section. The jurisdiction of the IRB
requires that we ensure the appropriateness of research. It is unethical to put participants at risk without the
possibility of sound scientific result. For this reason, you should be very clear about how participants and others
will benefit from knowledge gained in this project.

This research intends to quantify the number of students at Georgia Southern University who experience food
insecurity and hunger. To address the purpose of our research, our team proposes the following questions:

1) What is the prevalence of food insecurity among Georgia Southern undergraduate and graduate students?
2) What factors contribute to the prevalence of food insecurity among students?

The investigators hypothesize that food insecurity and hunger is prevalent among Georgia Southern University
students.
 GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL NARRATIVE

Literature Review. Provide a brief description of how this study fits into the current literature. Have the research
procedures been used before? How were similar risks controlled for and documented in the literature? Have your
instruments been validated with this audience? Include citations in the description. Do not include dissertation
or thesis chapters.

There is limited research from rural, Southern college students regarding food insecurity and hunger, thus,
there is a need for further research on this pressing issue college students face. This investigation will allow us to
identify the number of food insecure students as well as the barriers they face. Food insecurity is the condition
assessed in the food security survey and represented in USDA food security reportsthis is a household-level
economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Hunger is an individual-level
physiological condition that may result from food insecurity (USDA, 2016). In 2015, 42.2 million Americans
reported living in food insecure households--29.1 million of which were adults and 13.1 million of which were
children (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2016). The USDA reports 12.7 percent of Americans were food insecure at least
some time during the year, and 5 percent were afflicted with very low food insecure (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2016).
As a critical issue affecting all ages across the United States, food insecurity is even a growing concern among
college campuses. College students are experiencing a high prevalence of food insecurity, despite having meal
plans, being employed, and/or receiving financial aid (Dubick et al., 2016). Students who are food insecure often
experience higher levels of mental stress and perform at lower levels when compared to food secure students
(Dubick et al., 2016).
A recent study at Western Oregon University, a rural mid-sized school, uncovered that over half of the
students at Western Oregon University (59%) identified as food insecure at some point over the span of one
school year (Patton-Lpez et al., 2014). In a survey of 4,000 undergraduates at 10 community colleges across the
nation, the Wisconsin Hope Lab found that approximately half of the participating community college students were
struggling with food and/or housing insecurity. Of that half, the study found that 13% of the students were homeless,
while 20% identified as hungry --indicating that they had very low food security, at that time (Goldrick-Rab et al.,
2014). Thus, housing insecurity was found to correlate with food insecurity within college campus settings.
Furthermore, mental health was similarly found to be strongly associated with food insecurity (Goldrick-Rab et al.,
2014). Students with food insecurities reported symptoms of clinical depression, high levels of anxiety, eating
disorders, and thoughts of suicide (Goldrick-Rab et al., 2014). A study that investigated food insecurity among
urban southwestern college freshman students found 32% of the first-year students reported food insecurity in the
past month and 37% in the past three months (Bruening et al., 2016). This study also found the food-insecure
freshman had higher bouts of depression when compared to the food-secure students (Bruening et al., 2016).
A study done at four public Illinois Universities found 35% of students were found to have low or very low
food security (Morris et al., 2016). The study focused on relationships between food security and sociodemographic
variables. The variables that were addressed included race, grade point average (GPA), financial aid, and student
housing (Morris et al., 2016). Of the students surveyed, a majority received some type of financial aid. African
Americans experienced more food insecurity when compared to white/Caucasian students. GPA was also a concern
during this research study. Students with a lower GPA (0 - 1.99) were more likely to be hungry and food insecure.
Students with a higher GPA were noted to have a high food security and less likely to be food insecure (Morris et
al., 2016).
A study conducted at the University of Hawaii at Manoa discovered approximately 45% of the students
were found to either be food-insecure or at risk of being food insecure. Of the students surveyed, 21% were found to
be food insecure, with low food security affecting 15% of the students and very low food security affecting 6% of
the students. This study also found that students living on campus and those living off campus with roommates or
off campus with unspecified living arrangements were at a greater risk of being food insecure compared to students
living with relatives or parents (Chaparro et al., 2009).
Multiple studies have taken advantage of the use of the USDAs Adult Food Security Survey Module
(USDA, 2012) and online-surveys like Qulatrics to gather information, including the study completed at the
University of California in 2015. The surveys were sent online to all ten campuses in California, and there was a
total of 66,000 respondents. The survey included questions modeled from the USDAs Adult Food Security Survey
Module, along with the USDAs definition of the food insecurity terms, and 19% of those respondents identified
themselves as having very low food security (Martinez et al., 2017). Another research study utilized online survey
instruments such as campus email distribution and survey links such as Survey Monkey to obtain the required data
from the participants (Bianco et al., 2016.). A third study completed at the University of Colorado researched food
insecurity, dietary intake, and eating patterns among university students, and the information was gained through
online surveys modeled after the USDAs Adult Food Security Module (USDA, 2012) and the survey program
 GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL NARRATIVE

Qualtrics (Gonzales, 2013). This study found that, on average, students scored between marginally food secure and
low food secure on the survey (Gonzales, 2013). This method of data collection will be highly accessible to the
college students via computers and mobile devices, easy to use, and allow for confidentiality of the participants.
The proposed study imposes risks similar to those found in other studies of food insecurity among the
college student demographic. To mitigate these risks, the collected survey data in this study will be maintained on a
secure, password-protected computer. Co-investigators will cease to have data access following May of 2017, in an
effort to further protect participants confidentiality. The Wisconsin Hope laban institution that regularly conducts
research on college student food insecurityuses emails obtained from institutional databases to securely recruit
their research participants (Wisconsin Hope Lab, 2016). In a similar fashion, the co-investigators of this study intend
to use both campus-secure emails and Qualtrics to securely obtain participants, as well as collect and analyze their
survey responses. Research subjects will passively consent to participating in the proposed study, and will be
allowed to discontinue their involvement at any time, without academic penalty.
The survey instrument will contain eleven questions from the validated USDA Food Security Survey
Module and questions used in our survey are modeled after other studies of food insecurity among college students.
The survey will be accessible through the use of the survey mode of Qualtrics, which will be distributed to
participants through email. Qualtrics is widely used with numerous universities and businesses across the nation and
most popular uses of Qualtrics include for research of marketing, products, student and employee, quantitative
and/or qualitative research.

Outcome. Please state what results you expect to achieve? Who will benefit from this study? How will the
participants benefit (if at all). Remember that the participants do not necessarily have to benefit directly. The
results of your study may have broadly stated outcomes for a large number of people or society in general.

The proposed research study will provide a comprehensive overview of the prevalence of food insecurity across the
Georgia Southern University student population. It is expected that research outcomes will be utilized to create
public health interventions designed to address hunger among Georgia Southern college students. Therefore, long
term research outcomes will benefit the target population by addressing food insecurity, quality of life, and
morbidity rates among Georgia Southern students.

Describe your subjects. Give number of participants, and applicable inclusion or exclusion requirements (ages,
gender requirements, etc.).

Study participants will include all undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled, both part time and full
time, at Georgia Southern who are at least 18 years of age. According to Georgia Southern University Enrollment
Analysis for Fall 2016, approximately 20,678 students currently attend Georgia Southern. Of that sum, 18,005
constitute undergraduate students, while 2,668 constitute graduate students.

Recruitment and Incentives: Describe how subjects will be recruited. (Attach a copy of recruitment emails, flyers
or etc.) If provided, describe what incentives will be used and how they will be distributed.)

The research team will disseminate a mass email to members of the Georgia Southern student body, encouraging
them to complete a survey regarding food insecurity and hunger. A link to an online survey questionnaire modeled
after the USDAs U.S. Adult Food Security Survey and other surveys will be provided. After the surveys are
completed, participants will follow a separate link where each participant will be eligible to anonymously enter
his/her email for the chance to win one $20 Walmart gift card.

Research Procedures and Timeline: Enumerate specifically what will you be doing in this study, what kind of
experimental manipulations you will use, what kinds of questions or recording of behavior you will use. Focus on
the interactions you will have with the human subjects. (Where applicable, attach a questionnaire, focus group
outline, interview question set, etc.). Describe in detail any physical procedures you may be performing.

Attached are the survey questions to be entered into Qualtrics; these include basic demographic questions, along
with food insecurity and hunger questions from USDAs U.S. Adult Food Security Survey. With IRB approval,
email distribution will be sought after--as per the Survey Distribution Policy guidelines--to disseminate survey
questions to participants on March 20, 2017. A follow-up email will be sent to participants on April 1, 2017. The
 GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL NARRATIVE

survey will conclude April 15, 2017. Researchers will not have personal interaction with participants. All research
correspondence will be conducted via email.

Data Analysis: Briefly describe how you will analyze and report the collected data. Include an explanation of how
the data will be maintained after the study is complete and anticipated destruction date or method used to render it
anonymous for future use.

Data will be collected and partially analyzed through the Qualtrics Online Research Surveys platform
(https://www.qualtrics.com/customers/). Data will be downloaded and stored on a password-protected computer,
including the number of study participants and a statistical analyses of individual survey responses. A formal data
analysis will be conducted to interpret select data in written form. Using this descriptive analysis and the USDA
coding, co-investigators will determine the level of food insecurity on campus. This written data interpretation will
be stored on the aforementioned password-protected computer, solely accessible to members of the research team.
Similarly, the Qualtrics account will be maintained privately, only made available to the Principal Investigator and
the twenty co-investigators via confidential login credentials. Data collection is anticipated to end in April 5, 2017.
The data stored in Qualtrics will continue to remain private after the data collection ceases, to ensure the
confidentiality of the participants. The following will be at the discretion of the Principal Investigator: 1) who will
have access to the data following the termination of study, and 2) how the data will continue to be used in the future.

Special Conditions:

Risk. Is there greater than minimal risk from physical, mental or social discomfort? Describe the risks and the
steps taken to minimize them. Justify the risk undertaken by outlining any benefits that might result from the study,
both on a participant and societal level. Even minor discomfort in answering questions on a survey may pose some
risk to subjects. Carefully consider how the subjects will react and address ANY potential risks. Do not simply state
that no risk exists. Carefully examine possible subject reactions. If risk is no greater than risk associated with daily
life experiences, state risk in these terms.

Participants will undergo minimal risk in this study while providing responses to survey questions. The survey
questions used will be taken from an established USDA adult food security survey module first implemented in
1995. Minor discomfort or triggering incidents can result from answering survey items specific to hunger.
Investigators will limit the risk of triggering incidents for the participants by disclosing the potential risk in the
informed consent form. Participants must complete the informed consent in order to complete the questionnaire.
Identifying information will not be collected, except for basic demographic information. Thus, there is some risk
regarding anonymity with the online survey. However, researchers will limit threats to confidentiality by minimizing
access to the storage of any identifying information.

Cover page checklist. Please provide additional information concerning risk elements checked on the cover page
and not yet addressed in the narrative. If none, please state "none of the items listed on the cover page checklist
apply." The cover page can be accessed from the IRB forms page. (Note if a student, make sure your advisor has
read your application and signed your cover page. (Your advisor is responsible for the research you undertake in
the name of Georgia Southern.)

None of the items listed on the cover page checklist apply.

Reminder: No research can be undertaken until your proposal has been approved by the IRB.
 GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL NARRATIVE

Literature Review Reference list:

Bianco, S., Bedore, A., Jiang, M., Stamper, N., Breed, J., Paiva., M., Abbiati L., Wolff, C. (2016). Identifying Food
Insecure Students and Constraints for SNAP/CalFresh Participation at California State University, Chico.
Food Insecurity Report 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2017, from www.csuchino.edu/.

Bruening, Meg, et al. (2016). "Factors Related to the High Rates of Food Insecurity among Diverse, Urban College
Freshmen." Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics 116(9), 1450-8. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

Chaparro M.P., Zaghloul S.S., Holck, P., and Dobbs, J. (2009). Food insecurity prevalence among college students
at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Public Health Nutrition: 12(11), 2097-2103. Retrieved 22 January
2017. Doi: 10.1017/S1368980009990735

Coleman-Jensen, A., Rabbitt, M., Gregory, C., & Singh, A. Household Food Security in
the United States in 2015, ERR-215, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service,
September 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2017.

Dubick, J., Mathews, B., Cady C. (2016). Hunger on Campus; The Challenge of Food Insecurity for College
Students. Retrieved 12 February 2016, from www.studentsagainsthunger.org/.

Feeding America. Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics. 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017, from
http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger/hunger-and-poverty/hunger-and-
poverty-fact-s heet.html?referrer=https://www.google.com.

Goldrick-Rab, S., Borton, K., & Eisenberg, D. (2014). The Challenge: Food and Housing Insecurity Among
Undergraduates. Retrieved 22 January 2017.

Gonzales, Kittra. (2013). The Impact of Residence on Dietary Intake, Food Insecurity, and Eating Behavior among
University Undergraduate Students. Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of
Northern Colorado 3(2), 8. Retrieved 20 February 2017.

Martinez, S. M., Maynard, K., & Ritchie, L. D. (n.d.). Student Food Access and Security Study. Retrieved 9
February 2017.

Morris, L. M., Smith, S., Davis, J., & Null, D. B. (2016). The prevalence of food security and insecurity among
Illinois University students. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, (6), 376. Retrieved 22 January
2017.

Patton-Lpez, MM, et al. (2014). Prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among students attending a midsize
rural university in Oregon. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 46(3), 209-14. Retrieved 22
January 2017.

USDA. (2012). U.S. Adult food security survey module: Three-stage design, with screeners. Alexandria, VA.
Retrieved 20 February 2017.

Wisconsin Hope Lab. (2016). What Were Learning: Food and Housing Insecurity among College Students A Data
Update from the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. Public use Data Brief. Retrieved 22 January 2017.