Tackling Food Insecurity in the Collegiate Student Athlete: An Innovative Approach
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Presenter(s)
Brittany Borhart, Tristan Niemeyer
Abstract
Tackling Food Insecurity in the Collegiate Athlete: An Innovative Approach
Brittany Borhart, MSN, RN and Trisan Niemeyer, BSN, RN
Dr. Sandy Paddock, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, PHN and Dr. Ashley Busch, APRN, CNP, DNP
Globally, food insecurity is commonly seen in those from racial minorities or from families experiencing financial insecurities (Brown et al., 2023; Freudenberg et al., 2019). Additionally, food insecurity is an issue that is impacting those on college campuses. Students enrolled at the Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) recently were invited to participate in a Hope Center Basic Needs Survey, nearly 50% of respondents indicated they were experiencing food insecurity. A survey of the RCTC football team showed approximately 40% of the team reported food insecurity using a Core Health-Related Social Needs screening tool. Food insecurity has been found to be a large issue in the college athlete, in particular (Abbey et al., 2022; Brown, et al., 2023; Pacenta et al., 2024; Reader et al., 2022). Despite the existence of programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, student athletes often do not meet qualification criteria due to their inability to maintain 20 working hours in a week because of time demands surrounding their sport (College SNAP Project, 2021). When examining the race of individuals on the RCTC football team, most of the athletes are non-whites who belong to families with lower socioeconomic status. Fortin et al. (2021) suggest that this problem requires a wide variety of interventions that extend beyond food pantries and meal plans, such as general nutrition, cooking, time management, or financial management. To combat this growing issue, we decided to design a program that would teach student athletes how to plan nutritionally dense meals despite financial restraints. The goal of this project is to answer this question: In college football athletes experiencing food insecurity, how does attendance at one or more workshops on meal preparation affect food insecurity and self-reported academic performance compared to not attending workshops? Participants of this evidence-based quality improvement project were selected based on active status on the football roster and being enrolled as an RCTC student. Students were asked to complete a pre/post-survey that included an adapted 6-item United States Adult Food Security Survey and Likert-scale questions relating to current academic performance and experience with meal planning. Through the creation of six meal planning workshops, student athletes can voluntarily learn about nutrition education and dietary considerations through dietician-created recipes. Donated food/recipe ingredients items are sent home with the athlete. By collaborating with community partners, the project team can help alleviate the burdens present in health inequities and support the student athletes' physical and mental wellbeing. Results of this project are still being collected, but predicted participation in this study will impact approximately 50% of the rostered RCTC football team.
College
College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Department
Nursing - Graduate
First Advisor/Mentor
Sandra Paddock
Second Advisor/Mentor
Ashley Busch
Start Date
4-24-2025 12:00 AM
End Date
4-24-2025 12:00 AM
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Format of Presentation or Performance
Pre-Recorded Video
Metadata Creation Responsibility
Brittany Borhart
Closed Captions for Tackling Food Insecurity
Tackling Food Insecurity in the Collegiate Student Athlete: An Innovative Approach
Tackling Food Insecurity in the Collegiate Athlete: An Innovative Approach
Brittany Borhart, MSN, RN and Trisan Niemeyer, BSN, RN
Dr. Sandy Paddock, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, PHN and Dr. Ashley Busch, APRN, CNP, DNP
Globally, food insecurity is commonly seen in those from racial minorities or from families experiencing financial insecurities (Brown et al., 2023; Freudenberg et al., 2019). Additionally, food insecurity is an issue that is impacting those on college campuses. Students enrolled at the Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) recently were invited to participate in a Hope Center Basic Needs Survey, nearly 50% of respondents indicated they were experiencing food insecurity. A survey of the RCTC football team showed approximately 40% of the team reported food insecurity using a Core Health-Related Social Needs screening tool. Food insecurity has been found to be a large issue in the college athlete, in particular (Abbey et al., 2022; Brown, et al., 2023; Pacenta et al., 2024; Reader et al., 2022). Despite the existence of programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, student athletes often do not meet qualification criteria due to their inability to maintain 20 working hours in a week because of time demands surrounding their sport (College SNAP Project, 2021). When examining the race of individuals on the RCTC football team, most of the athletes are non-whites who belong to families with lower socioeconomic status. Fortin et al. (2021) suggest that this problem requires a wide variety of interventions that extend beyond food pantries and meal plans, such as general nutrition, cooking, time management, or financial management. To combat this growing issue, we decided to design a program that would teach student athletes how to plan nutritionally dense meals despite financial restraints. The goal of this project is to answer this question: In college football athletes experiencing food insecurity, how does attendance at one or more workshops on meal preparation affect food insecurity and self-reported academic performance compared to not attending workshops? Participants of this evidence-based quality improvement project were selected based on active status on the football roster and being enrolled as an RCTC student. Students were asked to complete a pre/post-survey that included an adapted 6-item United States Adult Food Security Survey and Likert-scale questions relating to current academic performance and experience with meal planning. Through the creation of six meal planning workshops, student athletes can voluntarily learn about nutrition education and dietary considerations through dietician-created recipes. Donated food/recipe ingredients items are sent home with the athlete. By collaborating with community partners, the project team can help alleviate the burdens present in health inequities and support the student athletes' physical and mental wellbeing. Results of this project are still being collected, but predicted participation in this study will impact approximately 50% of the rostered RCTC football team.
