Helping Students Help Themselves: An Intervention to Facilitate Campus Food Pantry Use at a Public University

<p>Estimates of student food insecurity at California’s public universities range from 42–47%. This study conducted at a public university in California investigated the impacts of an intervention on increasing campus food pantry use by increasing students’ knowledge of the pantry and reducing cognitive barriers. A sample of enrolled students (N=11,400) were randomly assigned to be in either the partial intervention (n=3,800), full intervention (n=3,800), or control (n=3,800) group. The partial intervention group received a postcard in the mail and an email invitation to complete the post-test survey online. The full intervention group received the pretest survey, a postcard, and the post-test survey. The surveys evaluated students’ knowledge and perceptions of the prevalence of food insecurity, who the food pantry is meant to serve, the normalcy and acceptability of food insecurity, and pantry design aspects. The average survey response rate was 5.3%. An analysis of the survey responses from the three groups revealed no statistically significant differences in students’ self-reported pantry visits, knowledge, and perceptions. Similarly, an analysis of weekly pantry visitors over the academic term revealed no changes in pantry use. An interview with campus food pantry staff discussing the findings led to the evaluative decision that using postcards alone is an ineffective way to increase campus food pantry use. Future inquiries should explore the effectiveness of other communication mediums such as texts, emails, and letters alone and in combination with postcards—especially interventions co-designed with students. Other approaches to improving pantry visibility should also be explored.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Education, PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Educational Studies

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Valoa, Kianna D.G.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Deborah Faye Carter
• David Drew

• campus food pantry
• cognitive barriers
• food insecurity
• intervention
• postcard
• Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1009

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-2031