Household food insecurity (HFI) exists when access to food is inadequate or insecure due to financial constraints, and is an issue of increasing concern among postsecondary students who face barriers to food access due to precarious finances. The goal of the current study was to explore the experience of HFI among university students in Nova Scotia (NS), including barriers and facilitators, and potential policy solutions to the issue from the perspective of students. Twelve semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with students experiencing HFI from across NS. Phenomenological analysis was undertaken, using Radimer’s model of HFI as a theoretical framework. Key aspects of the experience of food insecurity in this sample included all four dimensions of Radimer’s model of HFI: quantitative, qualitative, psychological, and social. The main contributing factor to student’s difficulties accessing food was inadequate and precarious finances. Students highlighted various coping mechanisms, such as utilizing food banks, budgeting their money, and buying food in bulk. This study is an important next step to a better understanding of the experience of student HFI in NS, building on previous quantitative research. Findings suggest that while the experience of HFI has many similarities with the experience in other populations, students experience tensions between independence and reliance on their family and have unique struggles related to government financial supports. The findings point to necessary policy changes related to student funding programs, and suggest that relying on campus food banks to solve the issue of HFI among students is inadequate.

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

• Bessey, M., Frank, L., Williams, P. L., (2025), "Starving to be a student: The experiences of food insecurity among undergraduate students in Nova Scotia, Canada", HSSCommons: (DOI: 10.15353/cfs-rcea.v7i1.375)

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1. finances
2. health disparities
3. phenomenology
4. student food insecurity
5. student funding

Original publication: Bessey, Meredith; Frank, Lesley; Williams, Patricia L. "Starving to be a student: The experiences of food insecurity among undergraduate students in Nova Scotia, Canada." Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation, vol. 7, no. 1, 2020, pp. 107-125. DOI: 10.15353/cfs-rcea.v7i1.375. This material has been re-published in an unmodified form on the Canadian HSS Commons with the permission of Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation. Copyright © the author(s). Work published in CFS/RCÉA prior to and including Vol. 8, No. 3 (2021) is licensed under the Creative Commons CC BY license. Work published in Vol. 8, No. 4 (2021) and after is licensed under the Creative Commons CC BY-SA license. For details, see creativecommons.org/licenses/.