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University Presentation Showcase: Undergraduate Division
Understanding Student Food Insecurity at Eastern Kentucky University: Beyond the Numbers
Presenter Hometown
Harlan, KY
Major
Anthropology
Department
Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work
Degree
Undergraduate
Mentor
Amanda Green
Mentor Department
Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work
Recommended Citation
Rhymer, Alisha and Bowling, Breanna, "Understanding Student Food Insecurity at Eastern Kentucky University: Beyond the Numbers" (2020). University Presentation Showcase Event. 13.
https://encompass.eku.edu/swps/2020/undergraduate/13
Abstract
Food insecurity, defined as a lack of availability and accessibility to food, impacts individuals throughout the United States at a national rate of 12%. College campuses are no stranger to food insecurity, with estimates of prevalence ranging from 14-50% in studies conducted across U.S. campuses. The state of Kentucky has a relatively high rate of residents with food insecurity at approximately 15%; in a 2018 survey conducted at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), approximately 30% of participants responded that they ate less than they felt they should because there wasn’t enough money for food. Given these numbers, we asked undergraduate students on EKU’s campus to participate in ethnographic interviews and surveys in order to fully understand the complexity of food insecurity as well as the impact that it has on student success at EKU. The ethnographic nature of the research gets to the root of the student experience to fully allow us to understand food insecurity in a real-world setting. This poster presents initial findings from our 2019-2020 study.
Presentation format
Poster
Understanding Student Food Insecurity at Eastern Kentucky University: Beyond the Numbers
Food insecurity, defined as a lack of availability and accessibility to food, impacts individuals throughout the United States at a national rate of 12%. College campuses are no stranger to food insecurity, with estimates of prevalence ranging from 14-50% in studies conducted across U.S. campuses. The state of Kentucky has a relatively high rate of residents with food insecurity at approximately 15%; in a 2018 survey conducted at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), approximately 30% of participants responded that they ate less than they felt they should because there wasn’t enough money for food. Given these numbers, we asked undergraduate students on EKU’s campus to participate in ethnographic interviews and surveys in order to fully understand the complexity of food insecurity as well as the impact that it has on student success at EKU. The ethnographic nature of the research gets to the root of the student experience to fully allow us to understand food insecurity in a real-world setting. This poster presents initial findings from our 2019-2020 study.