The impact that cultural food security has on identity and well-being in the second-generation U.S. American minority college students

Abstract

Food contributes to an individual's physical and mental well-being and expresses one's cultural identity through preparation, sharing, and consumption (i.e., foodways). Inadequate access to cultural foods can create cultural stress and affect one's identity and well-being. In particular, second-generation U.S. American student populations may have a higher risk for cultural stress due to being away from family, academic stress, environmental changes, and diminished financial stability to purchase cultural foods. Thus, an exploratory qualitative methodology was used to elicit information about second-generation U.S. Americans' food experiences to identify how cultural foods play a role in individual identity and how individual well-being is influenced by the presence or lack of cultural foods. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with second-generation American students at the University of Nevada, Reno, who self-identified as a cultural or ethnic minority. A standard thematic analysis was conducted. The authors identified that cultural food security influenced the ability to practice foodways, which tied Second-generation American students to their cultural identities. The absence of foodways led to anxiety and depression among students, amplifying the feelings of identity degradation. Second-generation American students discussed that the ability to practice their foodways improved multiple well-being components and led to feelings of happiness, decreased stress, warmth, better digestion, and a sense of belonging, comfort, and safety. College populations continue to grow and become more diverse, and with the increasing Second-generation American students, it is essential to improve the access and availability of cultural foods to improve their overall well-being. (245/250 words).

Undergraduate nursing and medical students’ perceptions of food security and access to healthy food in Qatar: a photovoice study

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Food insecurity among postsecondary international students: a scoping review protocol

“…Food insecurity, defined broadly as the unreliable availability, use, stability and access to sufficient, culturally safe and nutritious food, is a widespread global problem with considerable health effects 13–15. As evidence from Canada and other popular immigrant-destination countries continues to accumulate,5 16–20 food insecurity among postsecondary students has been brought to the centre of policy and scholarly discussions. According to a survey on food insecurity among postsecondary students at five Canadian universities, about 39% of students experienced some level of food insecurity 21.…”

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“…Students who must work out of necessity are at risk of being exploited to work illegal hours, in terrible working conditions and often for minimum wage,25 which can harm their health and jeopardise their academic performance. Furthermore, Wright et al ’s work19 20 with students at the University of Nevada, Reno, suggests that inadequate availability, access and use of cultural foods, also known as cultural food insecurity, can negatively impact the well-being and identities of international students and students who self-identify as ethnic minorities. Cultural food insecurity reduces an individual’s ability to follow their traditional foodways, which can increase the risk of cultural stress and subsequently lead to anxiety, depression, ethnic isolation and identity erosion 19 26…”