Hunger on Campus: Food Insecurity among Post-Secondary Students with Children at the University of Alberta

• Author / Creator

  Lee, Sarah D

• Background: Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain ability to obtain the quantity or quality of food that an individual or household needs due to financial constraints. Food insecurity has been shown to have a variety of negative impacts on health and wellbeing. Post-secondary students represent a group that may be vulnerable to food insecurity, but research in this area is limited. Objectives: The objectives of this research were to review the literature about food insecurity among post-secondary students and explore the qualitative experience of food insecurity among post-secondary students with children. Methods: In study one a narrative review of the literature was conducted using electronic databases and grey literature searches. In study two, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with food insecure student clients of a Campus-based food bank who had children under the age of 18 in their care. Transcripts underwent conventional content analysis. Results: In study one, 21 studies were included which examined food insecurity in 18,450 students. Prevalence estimates of food insecurity ranged from 12.7 to 89%. Food insecurity risk factors included being low income, living away from home, or being an ethnic minority. A variety of negative consequences of food insecurity were reported (e.g. reduced academic performance, poor diet quality) and strategies to mitigate food insecurity were numerous (e.g. reducing the number or size of meals, borrowing from friends or relatives). In study two a total of nine students were included. All students were full-time students and had 1 (n=7) or 2 children (n=2) under 18-years-old in their care. Due to the breadth of issues examined, data were organized into two separate, but related manuscripts. The first paper examined reasons why students used the food bank; feelings about using the food bank; the consequences of food insecurity for students; and, barriers to students of overcoming food insecurity. The primary impetus for food bank use was in response to a financial crisis that left students with insufficient funds to buy food such as loss of income, shortage in student loan funding, and unexpected bills. Students felt embarrassment, shame or conflicted feelings such as guilt about receiving food hampers. Students experienced negative effects on academic outcomes as well as on mental and social wellbeing. The second paper examined results relating to the impact of food insecurity on the wellbeing of students’ children, the experience with the food received from the Campus Food Bank for students and their children as well as the coping strategies that students with children used to deal with food insecurity. Findings indicate that some students felt that the donated food they received was of poor quality or not appropriate for their culture or religion. Students tried to shield their children from the negative effects of food insecurity by sacrificing their own nutrition in times of food shortage, which included giving children higher quality foods, forfeiting food so children could eat, and ensuring children’s dietary needs were met before their own. Students used a variety of coping strategies to manage their food insecurity Discussion/Conclusions: Food insecurity is an issue among post-secondary students and is associated with a number of negative outcomes, and warrants further research to determine the causes and consequences of food insecurity in this population. Food insecure students with children experienced a range of negative effects on their academic achievement and mental and social wellbeing and may be at risk for nutritional deficiencies by limiting or varying their own diet in order to ensure their children’s needs are met.  

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Food Bank
  • Children
  • Food Insecurity
  • Postsecondary
  • Students

• Graduation date

  Fall 2017

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3J960S10

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.