Impact of a Student-Led Food Insecurity Intervention on Diverse Community College Students

ABSTRACT As many as two-thirds of American community college students may experience food insecurity. Their struggles are linked to health and academic difficulties and relate to several socioeconomic factors, including stigma regarding food programs. To support students’ understanding of and activism regarding food insecurity, student leaders co-created the Playing with Our Food intervention, which reviewed research and played games with students about stigmatized food-related topics. A survey utilizing writing prompts revealed that attendees learned new information, were more likely to use campus programs, and became interested in activism. Other campuses may stage similar interventions to develop students’ awareness of food insecurity.