Understanding the double burden: a mixed method analysis of overlapping food and housing insecurity among college students at a minority serving institution

This article examines the findings of a study of basic needs (in)security among students at a large, minority-serving university in the American Southwest. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study measures the prevalence of and examines the demographic patterns in both food and housing insecurity, as well as their co-occurrence, which we call the double burden. Using multinomial logistic regression analysis, this study finds a significant co-occurrence of food and housing insecurity among several demographic groups, especially racial and ethnic minority groups and LGBTQ students. Qualitative data from focus groups are presented to contextualize these findings and to present student experiences with basic needs insecurity. Study results suggest that students experience overlapping insecurities in their access to food and housing, and that these insecurities are patterned in ways that mirror educational inequalities.