The "starving student's" pathway to food security at the University of Lethbridge

dc.contributor.authorWandler, Bryanne
dc.contributor.supervisorYoung, Julie
dc.date.accessioned2024-06-04T19:34:56Z
dc.date.available2024-06-04T19:34:56Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description63 pages : illustrated
dc.description.abstractFood banks have existed since the 1980s, yet their demand has increased exponentially; in March 2023, there were nearly 2 million visits to food banks across Canada (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 1998; Food Banks Canada, 2023). Food insecurity has often been studied through one field, but I have found that a multidisciplinary approach may broaden our understanding of how interconnected food insecurity is. This thesis will look at food insecurity amongst undergraduate students at the University of Lethbridge through three key lenses: access, affordability, and stigma. Data was collected qualitatively through six semi-structured interviews with second-year domestic undergraduate students to hear firsthand about their experiences as students navigating a geographically constrained campus amidst an affordability crisis. In order to visually capture the food desertification in the city of Lethbridge, a service area map between the street network and grocery store locations with a 1–3-kilometer walking distance was created using ArcGIS software. A few recurring themes from the interviews included that students may not perceive themselves as food insecure since they find their financial status stable despite frequently skipping meals. In addition, food secure and insecure students were very likely to push off eating while on campus if they did not pack anything despite their hunger due to the cost of food from on-campus vendors. Thus, the perception of food insecurity may appear distorted based on the normality of the increased cost of living. My research aims to add to the growing conversation surrounding student food insecurity and support institutions looking to create food secure campuses.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/6772
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Lethbridge, Dept. of Geography and Environment
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Geography and Environment
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Geography and Environment
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.subjectFood insecurity
dc.subjectStigma
dc.subjectFood deserts
dc.subjectAffordability
dc.subjectFood banks
dc.subjectUniversity of Lethbridge
dc.subjectUndergraduate students
dc.subject.lcshFood security--Alberta--Lethbridge
dc.subject.lcshFood banks--Alberta--Lethbridge
dc.titleThe "starving student's" pathway to food security at the University of Lethbridge
dc.typeHonors Thesis
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