Student food insecurity

Context: Dissertation project for Master's by Research (MRes) degree in Sustainable Futures

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Date: 2023

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Abstract: Despite a growing awareness of the issue of student food insecurity, limited research has been conducted amongst students at universities in the United Kingdom (UK). Using photo-based interviews with students (n=8) and expert interviews with university staff (n=6), this study applied a novel theoretical framework to the issues of student food access and food insecurity. The students interviewed fell across the scale of food insecurity, highlighting students’ diverse range of experiences in accessing and affording food. While financial factors are significant, this research identified a range of additional factors across the personal, social, physical, and contextual environments that can influence students’ ability to access and afford food. Interactions across and between these levels of influence can result in some students being unable to access enough food for a healthy diet, with detrimental impacts on students’ social life and health. Interventions to address food insecurity amongst students must go beyond the financial accessibly of food to consider the wide range of factors that influence students’ ability to access and afford food.

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