Food insecurity among college students: Administrators’ perspective

Abstract

Objective: An estimated 21% to 58.8% of U.S. college student populations experience food insecurity (FI)—that is, limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Ameliorating this FI requires the involvement of college administrations. This study seeks to explore campus administrators’ understanding of—and support for—students who experience FI. Participants: Thirty administrators at a university on the West Coast participated in semi-structured interviews. Methods: All interviews were transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analyzed using the grounded theory approach. Results: Though participants understood the concept of FI, the majority underestimated the scope of the problem and didn’t believe it had been treated as a priority. They identified competing resources and concerns, along with other factors like low awareness, as barriers to addressing FI. Conclusion: Although administrators were aware of the existence of FI on their campus, this study’s results allude to the importance of providing further necessary FI education for administrators.