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Research Article: The mediating effect of food ?nsecurity in the relationship between food ?nflation and eating behaviors: a case of nursing students

Date Published: 2026-09-24

Abstract:
Nursing students may be particularly vulnerable to food insecurity because of their intensive academic and clinical demands. Although food insecurity has been studied among university and nursing students, limited research has examined the links between food-price pressures, socioeconomic factors, and nutritional behavior, particularly the statistical mediating role of food insecurity. This study examined these relationships among nursing students. This cross-sectional correlational study included 250 undergraduate nursing students from the Department of Nursing at Kilis 7 Aral?k University, Türkiye, between December 2025 and February 2026. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the Effect of Food Inflation on Nutrition Behavior Scale (EFINUB), and the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). Associations were examined using bootstrap-based path analysis, with unstandardized coefficients (B), standardized coefficients ( ? ), 95% bootstrap confidence intervals (CIs), and R 2 reported. EFINUB was moderately and positively associated with FIES ( r = 0.453, p < 0.001). EFINUB and FIES scores were higher among students living away from their families, reporting lower family income, prioritizing price or budget when purchasing food, and reporting that food price increases had affected their dietary habits (all p < 0.05). In the path analysis, greater food insecurity was associated with greater food inflation-related changes in nutritional behavior ( ? = 0.257, p < 0.001). Food insecurity statistically mediated the associations of family income, place of residence, food-purchasing priorities, and perceived effects of food price increases with EFINUB. The path model explained 44.9% of the variance in EFINUB and 21.3% of the variance in FIES. Food insecurity may represent an important statistical pathway linking socioeconomic and food-price pressures with nutritional behavior among nursing students. Lower family income, living away from family support, and prioritizing economic considerations when purchasing food were associated with greater food insecurity and perceived changes in nutritional behavior in response to rising food prices. These findings highlight the potential relevance of university-based measures, such as affordable meal programs, campus food-support initiatives, and targeted financial assistance, to support food accessibility among nursing students experiencing food-price pressures.

Introduction:
Food inflation has become an important public health and nutrition concern because rising food prices can reduce the affordability and accessibility of healthy foods, particularly among individuals with limited financial resources. In Türkiye, persistent inflation and increasing food prices have altered household purchasing decisions and increased the economic pressure associated with maintaining adequate nutrition ( 1 ). Food price increases may lead consumers to prioritize affordability over nutritional quality,…

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