WED-007 - Through Their Lens: Exploring Food Access Challenges Among International Students Using Photovoice

Brief Abstract Summary: Explore the challenges and barriers that international students face in accessing healthy, affordable and culturally relevant food, using photovoice which is a community-based research method, allowing participants to take photographs that captures their lived experiences, which then served as the foundation for group discussions. Participants had the opportunity to explain the meaning behind their photos and identify challenges, strengths, and actionable solutions. By centering international student voices, universities can co-design culturally relevant strategies that strengthen food access, foster inclusion, and enhance student well-being.

Detailed abstract description: International students in the United States face unique challenges in securing healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate foods. Despite rising attention to college student food insecurity, the lived experiences of international students remain underexplored. This presentation will introduce attendees to photovoice, a participatory research method integrating photography and dialogue, and how it was used to examine the barriers, adaptations, and potential solutions related to food access among the participants of this study. The value of the Socialecological Model will be discussed to help attendees understand how individual behavior interacts with institutional structures and community systems. Attendees will get a pictorial view of the images submitted by these participants and how they utilized the SHOWeD method in the focus group discussions to reflect on their daily food environments. Thematic analysis, informed by the Social Ecological Model, identified four interrelated themes: (1) Structural and Logistical Barriers to Food Access: Transportation and Other Barriers; (2) Cultural Disconnect in Food Availability and Challenges in Adaptation; (3) International Students’ Adaptive Strategies and Compromises; and (4) Solutions and Recommendations for Action. Findings illustrate how food insecurity among international students extends beyond affordability, reflecting systemic and cultural barriers that undermine health, well-being, and academic success. Attendees will gain further insights into how international students adapt through various coping strategies, and how university leaders and other decision-makers can tailor their interventions to create more inclusive and supportive campus environments. Recommendations such as expanding culturally inclusive dining options for international students, improving transportation access to diverse grocery stores, and increasing awareness of available resources will be discussed. Furthermore, health educators and higher education leaders will be pointed to opportunities to design and deliver culturally responsive programs that strengthen students’ skills in meal preparation, budgeting, and time management. Initiatives such as cooking classes, peer-support programs, and nutrition workshops can help students adapt to new food environments while fostering a sense of cultural belonging. Attendees will leave with a thorough understanding of how multi-level interventions, spanning individual education, institutional reforms, and community partnerships, are needed to address these inequities.