Abstract
Research shows that factors like campus food environment, food accessibility, and acculturation may shape students' eating patterns and influence their physical and emotional well-being. Although research has investigated factors that contribute to student food choices, few, if any, prior studies have examined this topic from the perspective of graduate students' own experiences. By utilizing Photovoice methodology, the current study aims to fill the research gap as well as supplement the current literature, providing insights from graduate students' everyday realities and feedback from policymakers. Three overlapping themes emerged across all images: (1) unhealthiness becomes the norm, (2) the convenience of food influences decisions, and (3) healthy food consumption a symbol of cultural identity. The feedback from University policymakers in relation to identified themes revealed two key issues. First, the information about dining options on campus is not visibly present anywhere on campus. Second, much of dining services is designed with undergraduate students in mind. The findings of this study suggested that universities should provide a better environment to promote healthy food consumption, improve students' awareness of healthy options, make healthy options convenient enough to consume, limit students' access to unhealthy food, and consider the needs of international students.
Highlights
Photovoice as a methodology represents reality from various perspectives, serving as an effective tool, in instances when social change is much needed
One common theme we found across the photovoice project is that unhealthy food consumption is welcomed among students
The findings from our discussion with the University policymakers indicate that some of the issues raised in this Photovoice study are already being addressed on campus
Summary
Photovoice as a methodology represents reality from various perspectives, serving as an effective tool, in instances when social change is much needed. It provides the opportunity to visually assess our health concerns, expand our depictions with narratives, and establish common themes as a class. This participatory research methodology is a team-based approach, allowing us to collaboratively evaluate our experiences, establish overarching themes, and move forward with our findings by presenting them at an organized event. Our approach to photovoice is unique in that we are both participants and authors of this manuscript, providing an unfiltered voice to an issue we all agreed was important – food. We examine issues of diet, food choices, access, culture, and health through the visual narratives from the perspectives of graduate students on a college campus
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