Exploring Food Insecurity Among

College Students within California’s

Agricultural Abundance
A Research Proposal

Whitney Ballard, Erin E. Connor,

Denise Her, & Jamaal Washington
California State University, Fresno
 Introduction
⮚ Poverty
❖ 2019 U.S. Census Bureau – 34 million (10.5%) American lived in poverty
(Semega et al., 2020)
❖ poverty rate projection for 2021 – 13.7% (Giannarelli et al., 2021)

⮚ Food Insecurity
❖ by-product of poverty
❖ 2019, U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] (2020b) found that 10.5% of U.S.
households experienced food insecurity
❖ Black, Latino and single mother households most at risk
❖ college students at elevated risks for food insecurity when compared to general
population (Cady, 2014; Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018; Kozak et al., 2019; Silva et al.,
2019; Willis, 2018; Wood & Harris, 2014)
 The Research Problem
⮚ Food Insecurity among College Students
❖ as many as 67% face food security at some point in college career (Wood & Harris, 2014)
❖ student populations with highest rates (Willis, 2018)
✔ student of color
✔ first generation students
✔ sexual minority students
✔ former foster youth
✔ students with children/dependents
✔ students older than 25
✔ students living off campus
❖ invisible population – stigma and embarrassment
❖ negative outcomes (Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018; National Research Council, 2006)
✔ lower academic performance, student behavior, student engagement, lower retention and graduation
rates
✔ Higher risks of chronic disease, disordered eating, mental health conditions
⮚The purpose of our collective case
study is to further explore and
understand food insecurity for
students utilizing campus food
pantries at one CCC campus, one
CSU campus, and one UC Campus
within the San Joaquin Valley.
⮚Research Question:
What are the experiences and stories
of undergraduate students
experiencing food insecurity at
public colleges and universities in
the San Joaquin Valley?
⮚documenting university initiatives such as
campus food pantries and how they meet the
needs of students
 Food Insecurity Background
⮚ Food Security – having consistent access to “enough food for an
active, health lifestyle” (National Research Council, 2006, p. 4)
⮚ USDA (2020a) Definitions
⮚ Food Insecurity
⮚ Low Food Security - reduced quality of diet due to economic restraints without
reduced food intake
⮚ Very Low Food Security – reduced eating and low diet quality
“food security [is] the condition assessed in the food security survey and
represented in USDA food security reports—is a household-level economic
and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
Hunger is an individual-level physiological condition that may result from
food insecurity” (USDA, 2020a, para. 6)
Food Insecurity Among College Students
⮚ Challenges
✔ Time
✔ Food Management Skills
✔ Access to Fresh & Healthy
Food
✔ Reduced Food Intake
✔ Family Background
 Food Security Initiatives
Supplemental Nutrition
Campus Food Pantries Assistance Program (SNAP)

Figure 1. College & University Food Bank Alliance, n.d. Figure 2. California Department of Social Services, n.d.
 Institutional Data Review

⮚ San Joaquin Valley

✔ Fresno City College
✔ Fresno State
✔ UC Merced

Figure 3. Fresno City College, n.d.; Fresno State, n.d.; University of California, Merced, n.d.
 Student Cupboard Dashboard
300,000
350
250,000
300
200,000

150,000 250

100,000
200
50,000

0 150
its its
V is V is
f e
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Average Visits per Day

Fresno State Fresno City College Fresno State Fresno City College
Figure 4. Fresno City College, 2020; Fresno State, 2021. Figure 5. Fresno City College, 2020; Fresno State, 2021.

Data is from date pantries opened to present

(Fresno City College – 2015; Fresno State – 2016)
 Conceptual Frameworks
Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, Transition Theory
1943) (Schlossberg, 1981, 1984)
 Conceptual Frameworks
Food Security and Resource Adequacy Model
(Gaines et al., 2014)
 Literature Review
Populations at Increased Risk Financial Stress & Burden

Figure 6. Student Cupboard, 2021.

 Literature Review
Adverse Effects of Food Insecurity

Figure 7. Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018. Figure 8. Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018.
Literature Review
Gaps in Scholarship
 Methodology
Qualitative – Collective Case Study
 Research Participants
Institution A – CCC
Institution B – CSU
Institution C – UC Merced
✔ 18+ years
✔ Utilized campus food
pantry in past 2 years
✔ Enrolled at least 1 unit in
undergraduate degree-
seeking program
 Data Collections Method
• In depth, one on one
interviews
• Semi-structured
• Pre-interview survey to collect
demographic data to add to critical
lens
• Anonymity and confidentiality
ensured; informed consent obtained
• Recorded and transcribed
• 5+ interviews per case site

• Data mining
• Documents
• Websites
• Brochures
• Social Media
 Data Analysis Method
• Memos
• notes written during the
interview process for
reflection or coding

• Open, axial coding

• Qualitative data
analysis software
“In a multiple case study, data must be analyzed by
looking at each case individually (often referred to
as within-case analysis) and across cases (e.g.,
comparative case analysis or cross-case analysis) to
provide a holistic picture and understanding of the
case when multiple sites or cases are considered”
(Jones et al., 2014, p. 97)
 Joint Positionality & Trustworthiness
• Reflexivity
• Author 1 (Whitney)
• Author 2 (Erin)
• Author 3 (Denise)
• Author 4 (Jamaal)

• Epistemological Grounding
(Jones et al., 2014)

• Critical constructivist

• Validity Strategies
(Creswell & Creswell, 2018)

• Member checking
• Triangulation
• Rich, thick descriptions
• Qualitative reliability – cross checking codes, clarification of
code meanings
Conclusion & Recommendations
“Though access for minority groups
may be increasing, research
suggests that the college experience
remains a fundamentally unequal
one.”
(Willis, 2018, p. 167)

✔ Fill in scholarship gaps

✔ Transferable knowledge, including

recommendations for holistic
interventions and initiatives

✔ Impact marginalized student populations

✔ Transformative action

Figure 9. The Amendola Family Student Cupboard, 2021.

 References
Cady, Clare L. (2014). Food insecurity as a student issue. Journal of College and Character, 15(4), 265-272.
https://doi.org/10.1515/jcc-2014-0031
California Department of Social Services. (n.d.). CalFresh. https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/calfresh
College & University Food Bank Alliance. (n.d.). About us. https://cufba.org/about-us/
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Crutchfield, R. M. & Maguire, J. (2018). Study of student basic needs. California State University Office of
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