Hungry minds: Investigating the food insecurity of minority community college students

• Author: Tanzina Ahmed,Anita Yan,Rositsa T. Ilieva
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1891
• Published date: 01 August 2019
• Date: 01 August 2019

ACADEMIC PAPER

Hungry minds: Investigating the food insecurity of minority

community college students

Rositsa T. Ilieva

1

|Tanzina Ahmed

2

|Anita Yan

3

1

CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, City

University of New York, New York, USA

2

Kingsborough Community College, City

University of New York, Brooklyn, USA

3

Brooklyn College, City University of New

York, Brooklyn, USA

Correspondence

Rositsa T. Ilieva, CUNY Urban Food Policy

Institute, City University of New York, New

York, NY 10027.

Email: rositsa.ilieva@sph.cuny.edu

Research on food insecurity has investigated urban environments at the neighbor-

hood and city level but neglected the importance of college institutions. Community

colleges, which serve a larger population of low‐income, food insecure, and minority

students than 4‐year institutions, have been especially neglected. In this mixed

methods study, we examined how 50 low‐income minority students in an urban com-

munity college access food on campus and how the features of their college

foodscape shape their food insecurity. We also investigated how students' ability to

access food on campus shaped their perceptions of the college institution and their

academic endeavors. Our survey findings reveal high levels of food insecurity among

our participants. Students' written narratives demonstrate their desire for more

appealing and affordable food on campus and reveal their distrust of the college insti-

tution. Furthermore, students connect their food insecurity to their ability to concen-

trate on academic tasks. Thus, the accessibility of food on campus appears to affect

students' perceptions of their community college institution and has implications for

their emotional and academic development. Our work suggests that both researchers

and college institutions must examine the inadvertent signals that institutions send to

food insecure students through their food policies.

1|INTRODUCTION

Food insecurity in community colleges across the United States is a

widespread yet insufficiently studied phenomenon (Blagg, Gundersen,

Schanzenbach, & Ziliak, 2017). Research on food insecurity within

community college campuses is in its infancy. The paucity of research

limits our understanding of how community college students experi-

ence hunger and stymies our knowledge of effective solutions to this

problem. To address this gap, we devised a pilot study that utilizes

mixed methods to uncover how community college students at a

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in New York City navigate their col-

lege foodscape. Participating students filled out a survey instrument

along with three narrative prompts, giving researchers a holistic under-

standing of how students accessed and perceived food inside and out-

side of campus. Our research suggests that students' struggles with

food insecurity on campus shape their relationship with the college

institution. Furthermore, students' perceptions of food insecurity also

connect with their ability to concentrate on academic endeavors.

Thus, the accessibility of food on campus shapes students'

understanding of their college institution and has implications for their

emotional, physical, and academic outcomes.

1.1 |Food insecurity and support in community

colleges

Community colleges are increasingly important institutions in the land-

scape of American higher education, as they serve as a gateway to

higher education for many disadvantaged students. In recent years,

rates of attendance in 2‐year institutions have soared, with almost

43% of American undergraduates beginning their educational trajec-

tory at a community college (21st‐Century Commission on the Future

of Community Colleges, 2012). Community colleges in the United

States play, in fact, a key role in providing students with opportunities

for more fulfilling life trajectories and professional careers. Research

conducted at the national level suggests that community college

graduates earn more than students at 4‐year institutions who drop

out (Gill & Leigh, 2003) and, on average, will have a salary that is

Received: 2 April 2018 Revised: 25 July 2018 Accepted: 27 September 2018

DOI: 10.1002/pa.1891

J Public Affairs. 2019;19:e1891.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1891

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of13