Understanding food insecurity among public university students

This article aims to understand food insecurity among public university students. The informants were four university students (two males and two females), all of whom were selected purposively. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in accordance with an interview protocol so that the required info...

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Main Authors: Law, Leh Shii, Baki, Roselan, Sulaiman, Norhasmah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut Penyelidikan Pembangunan Belia Malaysia 2015
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46795/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46795/1/Understanding%20food%20insecurity%20among%20public%20university%20students.pdf
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author Law, Leh Shii
Baki, Roselan
Sulaiman, Norhasmah
author_facet Law, Leh Shii
Baki, Roselan
Sulaiman, Norhasmah
author_sort Law, Leh Shii
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This article aims to understand food insecurity among public university students. The informants were four university students (two males and two females), all of whom were selected purposively. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in accordance with an interview protocol so that the required information may be collected properly. This was crucial to ascertain and comprehend the contributing factors, coping strategies and consequences of such food insecurities. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. In addition to that, thematic analysis was applied to identify the codes used to form themes. The conclusive findings showed that the sudden closure of cafeterias, financial problems, lack of personal transportation, low quality of food and time constraints were among the factors contributing to food insecurities. Coping strategies were applied to combat these, including purchasing food outside campus grounds, forcing down dissatisfying cafeteria and mini-mart meals, storing foodstuff, reducing meal portions, choosing cheaper foods, opting for cleaner cafeterias, requesting outside food from friends and skipping meals completely. Consequently, there were dire effects, such as anxiety, lack of energy, inability to focus during classes and falling ill. Therefore, the Malaysian Ministry of Education as well as the university authorities themselves should be made aware of the food insecurity problems faced by university students. Further study in the future with a larger number of students involved is recommended.
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spelling upm-467952022-05-25T04:02:57Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46795/ Understanding food insecurity among public university students Law, Leh Shii Baki, Roselan Sulaiman, Norhasmah This article aims to understand food insecurity among public university students. The informants were four university students (two males and two females), all of whom were selected purposively. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in accordance with an interview protocol so that the required information may be collected properly. This was crucial to ascertain and comprehend the contributing factors, coping strategies and consequences of such food insecurities. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. In addition to that, thematic analysis was applied to identify the codes used to form themes. The conclusive findings showed that the sudden closure of cafeterias, financial problems, lack of personal transportation, low quality of food and time constraints were among the factors contributing to food insecurities. Coping strategies were applied to combat these, including purchasing food outside campus grounds, forcing down dissatisfying cafeteria and mini-mart meals, storing foodstuff, reducing meal portions, choosing cheaper foods, opting for cleaner cafeterias, requesting outside food from friends and skipping meals completely. Consequently, there were dire effects, such as anxiety, lack of energy, inability to focus during classes and falling ill. Therefore, the Malaysian Ministry of Education as well as the university authorities themselves should be made aware of the food insecurity problems faced by university students. Further study in the future with a larger number of students involved is recommended. Institut Penyelidikan Pembangunan Belia Malaysia 2015-06 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46795/1/Understanding%20food%20insecurity%20among%20public%20university%20students.pdf Law, Leh Shii and Baki, Roselan and Sulaiman, Norhasmah (2015) Understanding food insecurity among public university students. Malaysian Journal of Youth Studies, 12. pp. 49-75. ISSN 2180-1649
spellingShingle Law, Leh Shii
Baki, Roselan
Sulaiman, Norhasmah
Understanding food insecurity among public university students
title Understanding food insecurity among public university students
title_full Understanding food insecurity among public university students
title_fullStr Understanding food insecurity among public university students
title_full_unstemmed Understanding food insecurity among public university students
title_short Understanding food insecurity among public university students
title_sort understanding food insecurity among public university students
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46795/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46795/1/Understanding%20food%20insecurity%20among%20public%20university%20students.pdf