Experiences of Hunger and Food Insecurity in College
Monday, November 9, 2020
4:30 to 6:00 pm
On Zoom
Dr. Henry will focus on the self-reflective meanings and experiences of food insecurity from the perspective of college students experiencing it. Through ethnographic analysis of 92 qualitative interviews, her work explores the profiles of food insecure students, the impact of childhood food insecurity, and coping strategies while financially insecure. Students highlight issues of stigma and shame; the physical consequences of hunger and poor nutrition; the associations between mental health and nutrition; the academic sacrifices and motivations to finish their degree in light of food insecurity; and the potential for raising awareness on campus through university engagement. Dr. Henry will conclude the talk with a discussion of solutions—existing solutions to alleviate food insecurity, student-led suggestions for additional resources, solutions in place at other universities that serve as potential models for similar campuses—and efforts to change federal policy.
Co-sponsored by CMU's Humanities Center and the Center for the Arts in Society.
Dr. Lisa Henry is a Professor of Anthropology. As an applied medical anthropologist, her research interests include food insecurity, globalization and health, indigenous healing systems, biomedicine and healthcare delivery, and anthropology in public health. Her regional specializations are the U.S. and the Pacific Islands. Dr. Henry has led over 25 research projects in 20 years. Most notably, she collaboratively studied the cultural integration of physician assistants in U.S. medicine for over a decade and has received two grants in support of this research. She completed a collaborative project funded by the North Texas Food Bank investigating factors that influence food security in North Texas. She is currently investigating food insecurity among college students during COVID-19 for the Dean of Student at the University of North Texas. Dr. Henry recently completed her book Experiences of Hunger and Food Insecurity in College, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/