Experiences of Hunger and Food Insecurity in College

Lisa Henry

• Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9783030318178
• eBook ISBN: 9783030318185
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Education Theory & Practice
• Index: Social Sciences

This volume explores the experience of hunger and food insecurity among college students at a large, public university in north Texas. Ninety-two clients of the campus food pantry volunteered to share their experiences through qualitative interviews, allowing the author to develop seven profiles of food insecurity, while at once exploring the impact of childhood food insecurity and various coping strategies. Students highlighted the issues of stigma and shame; the unwillingness to discuss food insecurity with their peers; the physical consequences of hunger and poor nutrition; the associations between mental health and nutrition; the academic sacrifices and motivations to finish their degree in the light of food insecurity; and the potential for raising awareness on campus through university engagement. Henry concludes the book with a discussion of solutions—existing solutions to alleviate food insecurity, student-led suggestions for additional resources, solutions in place at otheruniversities that serve as potential models for similar campuses—and efforts to change federal policy.

© The Author(s) 2020

L. HenryExperiences of Hunger and Food Insecurity in Collegehttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31818-5_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction

Lisa Henry¹

(1)

University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA

Lisa Henry

Email: [email protected]

Abstract

The introduction chapter sets the stage for the context of this research topic and the manuscript. I introduce the concept of food insecurity in the U.S. by presenting USDA definitions and current statistics in the broader U.S. population. Next, I discuss the growing awareness and attention to food insecurity among college students by highlighting the increasing research on the prevalence and experience of food insecurity in college across the U.S. Next, I discuss the research project, research design, and methodology of my qualitative, ethnographic research at the University of North Texas (UNT). I highlight this project’s contribution to the literature on food insecurity among college students. I interviewed 92 students who were clients of the UNT Food Pantry. This is the largest qualitative study to be published to date, and it captures student perspectives on the meaning and experience of food insecurity.

Keywords

Food insecurityFood insecurity in collegeQualitativeEthnography

End Abstract

Food is the last priority. I’d rather sleep on a bed and have a roof over my head than eat.

At the time of this research, Cassandra was a 20-year-old African-American sophomore at the University of North Texas. As a freshman, she lived in the dorm, had a meal plan, and ate like it was the holidays with almost every meal. Like many college students, in the summer after her freshman year, she moved into an apartment with two friends who shared the rent. The following fall semester she took four classes and worked as much as she could. The hours she worked varied from 15 to 30 hours per week, mostly determined by the scheduling manager at work, but also by her class schedule. Her job paid minimum wage, and as Cassandra explained, it’s hard to find a high paying job that also has the flexibility to work with my class schedule. A lot of college students end up changing jobs every semester. Cassandra noted, I pay for everything—the rent, the bills. I go to class. I go to work . I try to study. Sometimes, when I don’t work enough, I don’t have money for food. At the same time , I can’t work all the time and go to class. I have to choose.

Cassandra was a federal Pell Grant recipient and also received some loan money. Her mom helped financially as much as she is able. During her freshman year, Cassandra noted that it was easy to manage all the expenses because food and housing were wrapped up together. When she first moved into an apartment, all of the different bills and expenses were overwhelming to organize and pay between the three roommates. She thought she would have enough money with her job but quickly realized that her finances varied month to month. Her older sister tried to help out with expenses by giving her money from time to time, but it was not consistent. Cassandra often did not have enough money to pay all of her bills and eat consistently. She depended on the UNT Food Pantry to help fill the gap.

Cassandra’s story is one of many that resonates with college students across the U.S. Although the notion of the hungry college student is not new, the issue is receiving increasing national attention including in the popular press, among researchers, and university administrators.

1.1 Food Insecurity in the U.S.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food security as access for all household members to “enough food for an active, healthy life” at all times. It includes easily accessible nutritionally adequate and safe foods, as well as the ability to secure foods in socially acceptable ways (i.e. not stealing, scavenging, or accessing emergency food sources such as food pantries). Conversely, the USDA defines food insecurity as having limited or uncertain access to healthy, nutritionally adequate, and safe food or the limited ability to acquire food in socially acceptable ways. Other characteristics of food insecurity include reduced calorie intake, lack of variety in diet, hunger without eating, and reduced weight due to lack of calories (USDA 2018a). Table 1.1 shows the continuum of food insecurity status and the economic and social contexts that define each. Hunger, an individual physiological condition, is too difficult to measure according to the USDA, but the very low food security category is associated with hunger. Households that fall into that category report eating less than they felt they should, skipping meals, and/or reducing meal sizes (USDA 2018a). See Himmelgreen and Romero-Daza (2010) for a thorough discussion on the implications for eliminating the word “hunger” from U.S. food policy.

Table 1.1

USDA food security categories (USDA 2018a)

Food secure	High food security	Households had no problems, or anxiety about, consistently accessing adequate food.
	Marginal food security	Households had problems at times, or anxiety about, accessing adequate food, but the quality, variety, and quantity of their food intake were not substantially reduced.
Food insecure	Low food security	Households reduce the quality, variety, and desirability of their diets, but the quantity of food intake and normal eating partners were not substantially disrupted.
	Very low food security	At times during the year, eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake reduced because the household lacked money and other resources for food.

According to the most recent USDA food security survey, the estimated percentage of U.S. households that were food insecure in 2017 was 11.8 percent (15 million households). This figure is down from 12.3 percent in 2016 and includes both low food security and very low food security. When analyzed further, the estimated percentage of U.S. households that were very low food secure in 2017 was 4.5 percent (5.8 million), down from 4.9 percent in 2016 (Coleman-Jensen et al. 2018).

Importantly, the prevalence of food insecurity varies by household type. Table 1.2 shows that certain household types have food insecurity rates above the national average:

Table 1.2

Food insecurity by household characteristics (USDA 2018b)

National average	11.8%
Households with children under age 6	16.4%
Household with children headed by a single woman	30.3%
Households with children headed by a single man	19.7%
Women living alone	13.9%
Men living alone	13.4%
Black, non-Hispanic households	21.8%
Hispanic households	18.0%
Low-income households (below 185% of the poverty threshold)	30.8%

Between 2015 and 2017, Texas experienced household food insecurity rates higher than the national average and ranked 11th highest overall with 14 percent of households experiencing food insecurity (USDA 2018b).

1.2 Food Insecurity Among College Students

There has been an increase in the national attention to food insecurity and hunger on U.S. college campuses. According to Feeding America (2018), one in ten adults they serve are college students. Of the households they serve, 31 percent choose between paying for education and food every year. Prevalence studies on a single university campus report a range of 14–59 percent of students being food insecure at some point during their college career (Chaparro et al. 2009; Hughes et al. 2011; Gaines et al. 2014; Patton-López et al. 2014; Maroto et al. 2015; El Zein et al. 2018; Willis 2019; Weaver et al. 2019). More recent cross-sectional, multi-university studies report a range of 35–50 percent, with an average of 44 percent of students being food insecure while attending college (Bruening et al. 2017; Global Food Initiative 2017; B...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Meaning and Experience of Food Insecurity
• 3. Stigma and Shame
• 4. Physical Health, Mental Health, and Nutrition
• 5. Academic Success and Motivation
• 6. Solutions
• 7. Conclusions
• Back Matter