Mentor/s
Patricia Lewis
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Throughout the United States, food insecurity is a growing issue. Poor or disrupted eating can have severe consequences on mental and physical health. Food insecurity can lead to malnutrition, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, anxiety, depression, and even PTSD. There are various factors that can increase the chances of experiencing food insecurity including socioeconomic status, education levels, household size, gender, race, ethnicity, and disability (Feeding America, n.d.). Certain races, ethnicities, and genders are more likely to experience food insecurity leading to questions about the impact of discrimination. Racism and racial discrimination are experienced throughout various institutions, organizations, and aspects of life in the United States. Racism contributes to unfair treatment in education, jobs, healthcare, criminal justice, and other public arenas, which can create long lasting impacts on individuals lives and health (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Research on the impact of food insecurity and racial discrimination has been explored but not on a large enough scale. Further research on the connection between food insecurity and racial discrimination can provide insight on demographics who are most at risk and ways in which this issue can be mitigated.
Food insecurity is defined as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food (USDA, n.d.). In 2023, 47 million people in the United States were food insecure, which is about 1 in 7 households, according to the USDA. Racism is defined as “a form a prejudice that generally includes negative emotional reactions to members of a groups, acceptance of negative stereotypes, and racial discrimination against individuals; in some cases, it can lead to violence” (American Psychological Association, n.d). Discrimination refers to the “differential treatment of different age, gender, racial, ethnic, religious, national, ability identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic, and other groups at the individual level and the institutional/structural level. Discrimination is usually the behavioral manifestation of prejudice and involves negative, hostile, and injurious treatment of members of rejected groups” (American Psychological Association, n.d.). Rates of food insecurity were higher for Black (23.3 percent) and Latinx (21.9 percent) households, both more than double the rate of White non- Latinx households (9.9 percent) (USDA, n.d.). This paper will explore the relationship between racial discrimination and food insecurity.
College and Major available
Health Science
Academic Level
Undergraduate student
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-25-2025 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-25-2025 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Prize Categories
Best Multidisciplinary Research or Collaboration, Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Most Transformative for Social Justice
Food Insecurity and Racism
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Throughout the United States, food insecurity is a growing issue. Poor or disrupted eating can have severe consequences on mental and physical health. Food insecurity can lead to malnutrition, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, anxiety, depression, and even PTSD. There are various factors that can increase the chances of experiencing food insecurity including socioeconomic status, education levels, household size, gender, race, ethnicity, and disability (Feeding America, n.d.). Certain races, ethnicities, and genders are more likely to experience food insecurity leading to questions about the impact of discrimination. Racism and racial discrimination are experienced throughout various institutions, organizations, and aspects of life in the United States. Racism contributes to unfair treatment in education, jobs, healthcare, criminal justice, and other public arenas, which can create long lasting impacts on individuals lives and health (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Research on the impact of food insecurity and racial discrimination has been explored but not on a large enough scale. Further research on the connection between food insecurity and racial discrimination can provide insight on demographics who are most at risk and ways in which this issue can be mitigated.
Food insecurity is defined as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food (USDA, n.d.). In 2023, 47 million people in the United States were food insecure, which is about 1 in 7 households, according to the USDA. Racism is defined as “a form a prejudice that generally includes negative emotional reactions to members of a groups, acceptance of negative stereotypes, and racial discrimination against individuals; in some cases, it can lead to violence” (American Psychological Association, n.d). Discrimination refers to the “differential treatment of different age, gender, racial, ethnic, religious, national, ability identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic, and other groups at the individual level and the institutional/structural level. Discrimination is usually the behavioral manifestation of prejudice and involves negative, hostile, and injurious treatment of members of rejected groups” (American Psychological Association, n.d.). Rates of food insecurity were higher for Black (23.3 percent) and Latinx (21.9 percent) households, both more than double the rate of White non- Latinx households (9.9 percent) (USDA, n.d.). This paper will explore the relationship between racial discrimination and food insecurity.
Students' Information
Grace Casey- Honors- Health Science-2026
Kerri Feuilly- Health Science- 2025
Samantha Martel- Health Science-2025
Ella Smith-Health Science-2025
Shamika Saint-Hilaire- Health Science-2025
Winner, Best Multidisciplinary Research or Collaboration 2025 Award