2018-19 McNair Faculty Research Mentors: Dr. Okera Nsombi - Africana Studies; Dr. Sarah Mount - Program Director of Undergraduate Public Health, Assistant Professor Wellness and Movement Sciences

McNair Research Title: A Study of Food Insecurity for Eastern Washington State Colleges

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify a possible link between food insecure college Students of color and previous family household food insecurity. The USDA defines food insecurity as, “a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life” (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2016). The matter of food insecurity is not an anomaly, as college students around the United States are critically affected by lack of resources to access and obtain healthy foods (Bruening, Brennhofer, Woerden, Todd, & Laska, 2016; Freudenberg et al., 2011; Patton-López, López-Cevallos, Cancel-Tirado, & Vazquez, 2014). Students of color, those receiving financial aid, and working students are more likely to report signs of food insecurity (Bruening, Brennhofer, Woerden, Todd, & Laska, 2016; Chaparro, Zaghloul, Holck, & Dobbs, 2009; Freudenberg et al., 2011; Gains, Robb, Knol, Sickler 2014; Patton-López 2014; Silva et al., 2015). This issue needs attention because food insecurity is detrimental to academic performance. Students affected are more likely to report low GPAs and fail out of classes (Bruening et al., 2016; Holben, 2010; Patton-López et al., 2014; Silva et al., 2015). As far as families, Vaccaro & Huffman 2017 noted that 26% of African American households, 22.4% of Hispanic households, and 11% of White non-Hispanic households reported food insecurity (Feeding America, 2017; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2016). There is a possible relationship between household food insecurity and college food insecurity. Living in a food insecure household may be a predictor of experiencing food insecurity in college.