Undergraduate Food Insecurity: Food-Related Struggles at the Nexus of Individual Development, Economic Constraint, and the Build and Social Environments

Background and Purpose: Growing attention to food insecurity among undergraduate students has led to rapid expansion of campus food pantries and other food-related supports. However, building effective policies and programs for this population may require new approaches tailored to the uniqueness of the college experience at the nexus of the transition to adulthood (for traditional undergraduates), and the institutional, social, and built environments characterizing college life. In contrast to typical household food dynamics that are the basis for most food and nutrition policies and programs, undergraduates often use meal plans, student loans, and part-time work to pay for food. They may have limited access to groceries and kitchens, and limited knowledge about nutrition, meal planning, and cooking. The campus food environment may reflect and convey eating expectations and norms that are especially expensive. Overall, undergraduates have different food-related experiences, pressures and needs, so new research is needed to understand the nature of undergraduate food insecurity in its context, providing a foundation for identifying appropriate solutions.

Methods: We explored undergraduates' experiences of food insecurity, and the individual and contextual factors that shape them. In-person and virtual interviews were conducted with 13 undergraduates at a large public university in the southern U.S. Interviews lasted 45-60 minutes and used an interview guide that focused on student expectations, experiences, and challenges meeting food and other basic needs while managing academics. Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed, and de-identified. Transcripts were analyzed thematically using NVivo 12, starting with development of a preliminary codebook, followed by a constant comparative approach to refine existing codes and develop new codes, then thematically grouping codes into broader categories.

Results: Undergraduates’ experiences of food insecurity included worry about being able to eat what, when, and where they preferred; irregular eating patterns; compromises in eating preferred foods; and feelings of embarrassment and shame related to emerging identities, peer norms, and eating behaviors. These experiences were sometimes influenced by limited financial resources, but also were shaped by student needs to: 1) find myself and my people – explore identity, build new relationships, feel included and accepted; 2) become a college student – learn to manage more adult responsibilities, academics, and the campus environment; and 3) balance time and place demands – navigate challenging class, work, and activity schedules on a large campus while finding moments and places to eat using a meal plan with frustrating rules and constraints.

Conclusions and Implications: Undergraduate food insecurity reflects both the economic constraints that are central to the experience of food insecurity at the household level, and the unique developmental, contextual, and structural challenges of the college experience. Beyond food pantries, colleges might consider supporting students to develop skills for managing food along with other daily life needs, and to navigate emerging identities and the social contexts of eating. Policies and programs should also reflect commitments to inclusion and justice, ensuring campus food environments affordably accommodate diverse food preferences while supporting students to thrive amidst overlapping academic, economic, social and developmental demands.