How University Infrastructure Contributes to Student Food Insecurity: The Student Experience

Autor/inn/en	Diaz, Jeannette; Gaylor, Rebecca L.
Titel	How University Infrastructure Contributes to Student Food Insecurity: The Student Experience
Quelle	In: About Campus, 25 (2020) 5, S.19-24 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Diaz, Jeannette)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1086-4822
DOI	10.1177/1086482220962086
Schlagwörter	Higher Education; College Students; Food; Hunger; Student Experience; Food Service; Dining Facilities; Student Attitudes; Nutrition; Georgia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Collegestudent; Lebensmittel; Studienerfahrung; Mensa; Schülerverhalten; Ernährung
Abstract	Campus surveys consistently demonstrate that roughly 40 percent of students surveyed report some food insecurity. As with the general population, poor students struggle to purchase sufficient and nutritious food. Data also show how family support, while protective against food insecurity, is no guarantee that students will eat well or eat enough. The site of the study is a public university of 13,238 student offering undergraduate, masters, and PhD programs. Forty-seven percent of the students identify with a minority racial or ethnic the majority of which are black or African American. Sixty-seven percent of the students are women. The university has several meal plans students from which to choose. The goal of the study was to gain additional information on how students experience food insecurity by engaging students through a field research service learning course. Seven undergraduate students were the primary researchers for this study. Student researchers recruited participants and conducted targeted outreach at the commuter lounge and in the student counseling center. As part of the study, potential participants were informed that a meal would be provided for them and they would receive 10 dollars loaded onto their student card. Forty students participated in the study. Researchers conducted eight focus groups. Three broad themes emerged: barriers to food access, the impact of food insecurity, and suggestions for improvement. Among the findings were: (1) deciding when to eat each day is particularly challenging for students as they juggle the time of their classes with the timing of meal service at the dining halls; (2) many students on meal plans don't have the cash to buy groceries so don't eat the requisite three meals per day; (3) students are often unable to create class schedules that conform to dining hall hours and frequently show up at the dining hall between designated meal times when there is less variety and quality; (4) many students don't have the additional money needed to purchase food to cook or, if they do, it is a "one-off" event rather than a regular part of their routine. These students are struggling to eat well and stay fit, and the dorm/campus infrastructure exacerbates this struggle. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2022/1/01