Justice-Centred Emergency Preparedness : Food Security at UBC During COVID-19
Creators: name: Ma, Rachel
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2021

description: Over the past four years, research has estimated 40% of students in Canadian post-secondary institutions experience some level of food insecurity. In early 2020, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) created a shock to the public health system across the globe, putting vulnerable populations within our community at even higher risk. Historically, students in higher education, especially international, graduate, Indigenous, and other racialized students, have been disproportionately affected by food insecurity. This research aimed to gain a baseline understanding on how student experiences of food security at The University of British Columbia (UBC) have been impacted by COVID-19. Through collaboration with the UBC Emergency Management Team (UBC EMT) and UBC Climate Hub as part of the UBC SEEDS (Social Ecological Economic Development Studies) Sustainability Program, an undergraduate student project team was formed to the examine the institution’s COVID-19 response along the themes of food security, financial opportunities, and community care and wellbeing. By amplifying student voices, this project aimed to provide student perspectives to guide future planning and student engagement processes regarding emergency preparation and disaster mitigation. This directed study project specifically focused on student experiences of food security and findings in this report aimed to shed light on the accessibility and pertinence of existing campus resources in the event of a crisis. In conclusion, this study did not detect a significant difference in the prevalence of food insecurity before and during COVID-19 in the sample population. This may be in part due to the low sample size and underrepresentation of students who are at higher risks of food insecurity in our study population. However, through a chi-square analysis examining various demographic variables with food security statuses before and during COVID-19, housing was found to have a statistically significant relationship with food security status during COVID-19 (p=0.011). This finding suggests that students who live off-campus, compared to those in on-campus housing, may have protective factors from food insecurity such as increased access to affordable food and financial resources, especially when paired with living with family or a partner. Overall, student recommendations reflect opportunities for the University to increase affordability for on-campus food services enhance communication of available food security and financial resources, and target consultation with affected students. Future research can better characterize the lived experiences of food insecurity by targeting specific student communities through focus group research. In order to equitably prepare for future emergencies, campus stakeholders should prioritize the inclusion of students in decision-making and planning processes at the institutional level. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”