Exploring and Improving Food Insecurity Among TWU College Students

By: Alexandra Mack

Senior Undergraduate Nutrition and Dietetics Major at Texas Woman's University

 

Abstract

Over 45% of students nationwide attending four-year institutions are food insecure.1 Many of these students work, receive financial aid, have meal plans, and do not receive SNAP benefits. At Texas Woman’s University (TWU) about 45% of the student population has very low or low food security. The Campus Alliance and Resource Education (CARE) has become the main resource focused on combating the college food insecurity issue on the Denton campus. CARE offers an on-campus food pantry, called Minerva’s Market, and a drive-thru food pickup, named Groceries to Go in partnership with the Tarrant Area Food Bank. This research aims to explore Minerva’s Market user demographics, understand how users perceive the services, and explore barriers to use, such as stigma, related to college food insecurity, and create curriculum specifically tailored for the patrons at Minerva’s Market. To reach this objective, this research was divided into three parts. The first part involved a survey to determine what subgroups of students use Minerva’s Market, how satisfied they are with the service, and what could be changed to better accommodate their needs. Next, in-person and virtual interviews were conducted with Minerva’s Market users to better understand food insecurity experiences and any associated stigma that is affecting TWU students. The third part was an intervention consisting of recipe development and video resources that were created to provide Minerva’s Market patrons with the tools to make nutritious meals from pantry foods.


 Research Breakdown

Part 1: Minerva's Market Survey

The survey aimed to gain a better understanding of the on-campus food pantry patrons and what they wanted to see done differently by the pantry.

Part 2: Interviews with Food Insecure Students at TWU

The interviews were conducted to better understand the college food insecurity experience, what the needs are of this population, and determine how stigma affects their ability to reach out for help.


Part 3: Recipe and Media Development

Cookbooks and cooking videos were after analyzing results from the survey and interviews. They were created as a way to increase food literacy and help food insecure students gain more confidence in their cooking skills. This was done to help empower students, lower stigma, and givie them more of a feeling of control over their situation.


Video Introduction

PXL_20240324_220142741.mp4