12/05/2024
Being a college student is emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting. A full-time student at Ohio University requires a minimum of 15 credit hours, on top of hours spent studying or working at an on-campus job. To maintain a hectic life as a college student, it is important to meet nutritional needs to have the energy, motivation and attitude it takes to fulfill daily duties. However, college students have a higher rate of food insecurity that is often ignored because of the normalization of food for efficiency and affordability. Food insecurity leads to a lack of nutritional needs being met, which further affects daily life, leading to mental health issues and physical illness, ultimately hindering students’ academic success.
Following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 3.8 million college students experienced food insecurity. For students experiencing food insecurity, this means they do not have access to enough food to maintain a sufficient dietary intake, skip meals to save money or eat significantly less to avoid running out of meals. Food insecurity has become a key issue for college students and has overarching negative effects on their well-being and academic success. Considering this, insecurity among students is largely unacknowledged due to the normalization of the college student diet, such as eating food that lacks nutrients, or ready-to-make foods like ramen or microwavable items. What is Ohio U doing to assist students facing hunger, and what can enhance their programs to fix the problem directly?
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