"It's just a constant concern in the back of my mind": Lived experiences of college food insecurity

Objective: Food insecurity is a growing concern to the health and wellbeing of college students. This study aims to examine the lived experiences of students at-risk of food insecurity and associated challenges in a public urban campus. Participants: The study recruited 21 college students at risk o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of American college health 2024-04, Vol.72 (3), p.980-987
Main Authors: Kim, Youngmi, Murphy, Jennifer, Craft, Kaija, Waters, Leland, Gooden, Basil I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Academic staff
At risk populations
Basic needs
College campuses
college food insecurity
College students
Coping strategies
focus group
food access
Food Insecurity
Food security
Food Supply
Health status
Healthy food
Humans
Insecurity
Mental Health
Qualitative research
Students - psychology
Universities
urban public college
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Summary:Objective: Food insecurity is a growing concern to the health and wellbeing of college students. This study aims to examine the lived experiences of students at-risk of food insecurity and associated challenges in a public urban campus. Participants: The study recruited 21 college students at risk of food insecurity using purposive sampling. Methods: We performed qualitative interviews with three focus groups and conducted a thematic analysis to explore themes that emerged from participant discussions. Results: Three central themes emerged from our qualitative analysis: (a) barriers to accessing stable and healthy food; (b) impacts of food insecurity on academic performance and physical and mental health; and (c) coping strategies for navigating food insecurity. Conclusions: The study highlights the distinct natures of food hardship and responses specific to urban public college students. Suggestions for academics and college administrators to mitigate college food insecurity are discussed.
ISSN:0744-8481
1940-3208
DOI:10.1080/07448481.2022.2064714