Graduate Student Food Insecurity on Campus: A Hidden Hurdle

Abstract

Food insecurity is characterized by an uncertainty or inability to acquire sufficient amounts of food needed to meet the dietary requirements of household members, due to a lack of financial resources within the household (Polsy & Garriguet, 2022). Post-secondary students are a particularly vulnerable population, with a disproportionate number reporting having experienced food insecurity during their studies (El-Zein et al., 2019). Such tendencies are concerning as correlations between food insecurity and various adverse outcomes influencing the health and well-being of post-secondary students have consistently been documented in the literature. However, very little is known regarding the specific experiences of graduate students. To this end, this thesis seeks to bridge the gaps in our understanding through a three-phase approach. Phase one of this thesis assessed changes in neighborhood food environment quality pre- and post-pandemic using data from 39 supermarkets located in Ottawa. The findings suggest that food affordability and food quality have decreased post-pandemic with disparities persisting between high and low socioeconomic status neighborhoods in Ottawa. Phase two consisted of a survey of 363 anglophone graduate students attending the University of Ottawa revealing that 48% were food secure, 13.5% of graduate students were marginally food insecure, 19.5% were moderately food insecure, and 18.7% were severely food insecure. Furthermore, food insecure students were more likely to report a negative influence on their academic performance, course load, in-class participation, attendance, and sense of belongingness to graduate studies community. Finally, phase three made use of semi-structured interview with 14 food insecure graduate students which revealed four key themes namely 1) Graduate students understood food insecurity as a lack of proximity, affordability, quality, and time; 2) Food insecure students experienced adverse physical and mental health outcomes, lower socialization, and academic outcomes; 3) Institutional factors hindered help-seeking behaviours; and 4) Food insecure advocated for holistic programs on campus to mitigate food insecurity. Together, the findings of the thesis provide insights into the experience of food insecurity amongst graduate students which may be used to adapt policies and approaches used by universities in better supporting students.