Food Insecurity

Jerry Aneke

Aleka Arredondo

Suborna Bhattacharjee

Anabel Castaneda

Niani Coker

Farhan Danish

HSCI 613/615

CSU, San Bernardino

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"Knowledge is food for the mind, without food for the body, learning is
impossible."
Charles Obershaw

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3

Mission Statement 3

S.M.A.R.T. Goals and Objectives 4-5

Program Design and Implementation

Needs Assessment 5-6

Target Population 6-8

Program Purpose and Rationale 8-9

Theoretical Justification 9-11

Map Determinants to Theory 11-12

Program Description 12-13

Implemented Changes 13-14

Program Evaluation

SWOT Analysis 14-16

Process Evaluation 16-19

Stakeholder Evaluation, Description of Process, Timeline, Recommendations

Reflection 20

References 21

Appendix 22-24
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Executive Summary

Food insecurity is a major problem with the CSUSB (California State University, San

Bernardino) student population because 42% of CSU students are affected by hunger. Chronic

hunger causes fatigue that can negatively affect academic (cognitive) and physical performance.

Additionally, a large portion of San Bernardino County is considered a food desert therefore, the

students who reside in this area have limited access to healthy food and fresh produce. Because

of the research of food insecurity for CSU students, in Spring of 2016, The Obershaw DEN was

created. The DEN intends to address the issue of food insecurity by delivering emergency

nourishment for CSUSB students. It provides nutritious foods such as canned goods, fresh

produce, and ready to eat meals for all students in need. Promoting The DEN is therefore our

effort. Using strategic program development and process evaluation tools, we can generate a

great marketing strategy to promote the resources that The DEN can provide to a population in

need of low-cost, healthy foods. Developing an engaging public service announcement is the

most feasible method of quickly advertising The Obershaw DEN to the target population of

CSUSB students.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to increase knowledge of food insecurity and its determinants to college students

and provide information on valuable resources, like The Obershaw DEN, as well as to improve

the attitudes associated with using resources.

SMART Goals and Objectives

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Specific: To increase awareness about food insecurity and the negative impact it can have on

college students and reducing the stigma associated with taking advantage of no-cost emergency

nourishment programs.

Measurable: Increase use of The Obershaw DENs services by 10% within one academic year.

Attainable: Using various media outlets, at low or affordable costs, the target population of

CSUSB students can be reached strategically in order to improve The DEN’s influence and

making The DEN’s resources more appealing and attainable for students.

Relevant: Studies show that 42% of CSU students and 23% of CSUSB students report

experiencing food insecurity. Additionally, The DEN serves as a convenient answer to the

burden that is the food desert and food swamp area of the city of San Bernardino which

surrounds the university, since CSUSB is largely a commuter campus. Food insecurity affects

many households within San Bernardino and Riverside Counties and this may be because there

are so many areas within these counties considered food deserts.

Time Sensitive: In theory the program will be primarily marketing cues to action. Promotional

marketing will be presented for 6 months out of the year for one academic year.

Objectives:

● Increasing community awareness toward the large impact food insecurity has on CSUSB

student population by providing important information.

● Promote a judgement-free environment to reduce negative stigma associated with free or

commodity food programs, specifically The DEN on CSUSB campus.

● Increase the number of student visits to The DEN.

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Program Design and Implementation

Needs Assessment

Normative

A goal of Healthy People 2020 is to promote health and reduce chronic disease risk through

healthful diets and healthy body weights. Baseline data indicated that 14.6% of households

surveyed across America were food insecure in 2008 and the target is to reduce that number to

6% by the year 2020. The objectives address individual behavior, policies, and environments that

support these behaviors (schools, worksites, health care organizations, and communities.) The

goal encompasses increasing household food security and eliminating hunger.

In 2015, CSU Chancellor White commissioned a study, Serving Displaced and Food Insecure

Students in the CSU, to show food and housing insecurity on college campuses. The study results

highlighted that 42% of CSU students reported food insecurity (20% experienced low food

security, 22% experienced very low food security). National prevalence rates for food insecurity

among U.S. households in 2016 was down to 12% making the case for college students as a new

food insecure population of concern, having a far higher risk of food insecurity than the general

U.S. population.

Furthermore, as of Fall 2017, there were 20,461 students enrolled at CSUSB. Of that student

population, 61% were Hispanic and 81% were first-generation students. Data from the CSU

study indicated that Dreamers (47%) and DACA students (45%) had higher than average rates of

food insecurity. Additionally, when the intersection of first generation students and race and
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ethnicity were examined, disparities become more obvious. Based on the CSU study, students

who reported being both first generation to attend college and Black/African American showed

the highest levels of food insecurity at 66%.

Relative

When comparing the national rate of food insecurity to the rate of CSU students who are food

insecure, the need for intervention is evident. A relative needs assessments shows that 41 million

Americans struggle with hunger. In 2016, National prevalence rates for food insecurity was 12%.

The CSU study, Serving Displaced and Food Insecure Students in the CSU, showed that 42% of

CSU students reported food insecurity while 23% of CSUSB students report issues with hunger.

Target Population

Our target population is students attending California State University, San Bernardino. Our

population is diverse and dynamic. The average age of undergraduate students is 18-23 years old

while the average age of graduate students is 24-33 years old (Figure 1). Of CSUSB students,

61% are Hispanic, 13% are White, 7% are non-resident foreign students, 5% are African

American, and 5% are Asian. Figure 2 demonstrates the student classification, where the largest

groups of students are juniors and seniors suggesting the high rate of transfer students to CSUSB.

Based on 2017 data, 81% of CSUSB students are first-generation college students, meaning they

have parents without a bachelor's degree. Moreover, 63% of our undergraduates students are

low-income students marked by the fact that they qualify for and receive Pell Grants.

Based on statistics and data on our target population of CSUSB students, some key determinants

for food security can be identified. CSUSB student population is comprised of 88% of students
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from San Bernardino and Riverside County. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the County

of San Bernardino has a poverty rate of 18% and while Riverside County is at a 15%. Food

insecurity affects many households within San Bernardino and Riverside Counties and this may

be because there are so many areas within these counties considered food deserts.

Figure 1

Figure 1 displays the diversity between undergraduate and post baccurlete

students attending CSUSB.
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Figure 2: Student Classification

Student classification is as follows: 23% freshmen, 13% – sophomores, 24% – juniors,

30% – seniors, 2% – post-baccalaureate students, 9% – masters, <1% – doctoral students.

Program Purpose and Rationale

The body of research on college student food insecurity is continuously growing. By exploring

the data, we can better understand and strategize ways to effectively address and fill the need.

We understand that food insecurity has a profound effect on the health and wellness of

individuals. Since data indicates that the population of CSU students rate of food insecurity far

exceeds the national rate, the rationalization is evident.

The purpose of our program is to target knowledge and attitude. Because of the research and data

provided, CSUSB has been proactive in providing a valuable service to the campus. The work

has been done to obtain funding, build partnerships, and staff The Obershaw DEN Food Pantry

program. Our task now is to increase the programs value by ensuring our target population has

the knowledge and empowerment they need in order to access this valuable service. We want to

make information about The DEN clear by sharing the amazing service that is provided along
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with the copious resources that they are able to link CSUSB students to. The second element we

wish to address with our program is to reduce the negative stigma that is associated with The

DEN. Students should not feel deterred or embarrassed in any way to use this service. The DEN

makes a great effort to ensure that obtaining healthy food for free is easy but also sensitive to

privacy. In order to increase use of The DEN and highlight the value it has in addressing food

insecurity for CSUSB students, we want our program to allow students to feel knowledgeable

enough and empowered enough to use the services provided by The DEN by highlighting the

ease and inclusivity of the program.

Theoretical Justification

The Behavioral Health Belief Model was developed by Hochbaum, Rosenstock and Kegels in

the 1950s and was used in conceptualizing our program. By addressing knowledge and self-

efficacy, one ultimate goal of our program is to encourage CSUSB students to utilize The DEN’s

services. The Health Belief Model is a working model that helps program developers establish a

program that is specific for its target population. The model attempts to explain behaviors of an

individual highlighting their perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs and predicting the likelihood of

action. As indicated in Figure 3 below, we were able to apply this model to build our program.

The template for the Health Belief Model applied to our program served as a valuable tool. The

furthest column to the left are individual perceptions of CSUSB students which include barriers,

benefits, perceived severity, and susceptibility of food insecurity. Our population of CSUSB

students have to take into consideration their knowledge and individual attitudes about their level

of food insecurity and how it may impact their health, academic performance, and general sense
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of wellness. The middle column includes modifying factors which are self-efficacy and cues to

action. By increasing the knowledge about food insecurity as well as the knowledge about

negative effects that improper nourishment can have on health and academic performance,

CSUSB students may feel more intrinsically or self-motivated to use the variety of services

provided on their campus by The DEN. Our program highlights the privacy measures that are

taken by The DEN and also highlights inclusivity with the goal to change attitudes, or reduce

stigmas, associated with using campus resources. The final column on the right highlights the

likelihood of action.

Using our program to increase knowledge about food insecurity and highlight valuable resoruces

available at CSUSB, students’ knowledge is increased and attitudes can be influenced by

reducing stigmas. Ultimately, students are empowered to prioritize their health and wellness by

utilizing resources available to them.

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Figure 3: Application of Health Belief Model

The Health Belief Model applied for addressing knowledge and attitudes

regarding food insecurity and The Obershaw DEN.

Mapping Determinants to Theory

The key constructs that we want to include in our health education program in order to impact

food insecurity are knowledge and attitude. Increasing knowledge about food security is

important because many college students are not familiar with the term and what a lack of

nourishment can mean for their health. Also, they are unaware of the campus resources they have
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available to them for eating a healthy, balanced diet that can ultimately help fuel their academic

performance. By increasing awareness the program, we can connect our target audience with

existing resources available in CSUSB like The Obershaw DEN Food Pantry and the additional

resources they can connect students to as well. Changing a college campus’ attitude about food

insecurity could reduce stigma concerning The DEN on campus and therefore, encourage college

students to seek healthier food options. We hope to ensure that no student feels embarrassed or

deterred from using this valuable program. The DEN is a wonderful resource to use if they are

unable to access affordable groceries. It is important for students to understand that having a

balanced diet is essential to their health, academic performance, and overall success as a student.

Program Description

The program we designed utilized strategic analysis of our target population to develop a public

service announcement. Our PSA addressed food insecurity in order to answer ‘What, Why, How,

Who and When’. The first step was to establish clarity – the ‘What’. We utilized the PSA to

showcase data obtained from research that was done on CSU college students and we revealed

the results that our program intended to achieve in terms of increasing knowledge about food

insecurity. The ‘Why’ was also used to focus on data and statistics explaining why food

insecurity is a continuing threat to students at CSUSB, their overall wellbeing, and the effects it

can have on academic performance. The ‘How’ involves going through the various services

provided by The DEN and the community resoruces they are able to connect CSUSB students to.

The PSA is a tool to connect the target population to resources available to them in a quick and

engaging way. Addressing the ‘Who’ was establishing the various stakeholders which include

the CSUSB student population, the campus community and alumni members, as well as the staff
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of the Office of Community Engagement, and providing the information they need to address

food insecurity. The ‘When’ was identified in the video by notifying the target population and

stakeholders about when the services of The Obershaw Den can be accessed.

Food Insecurity PSA Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddHgn6wSAok&t=10s

Implemented Changes

Receiving criticism from members within our own target population proved to be valuable. The

feedback that we received for our presentation included comments on the voiceover for the PSA

sounding monotone. Also, we learned that we did not highlight the concept of negative stigma

associated with use of The DEN. One individual pointed out that we needed to change the text in

one of our presentation slides from “Food Security” to “Food Insecurity” in order to maintain

consistency. It was also recommended that we needed to add more information about the

additional services, aside from being a food pantry, that The DEN provides. A student

recommended that we highlight the fact that that students only need their Coyote I.D. in order to

access the resources of The DEN and no additional information about the student was required;

this would highlight the inclusivity factor. It was suggested that we make the terminology of our

presentation more layman, specifically at fifth or sixth grade reading level. Simply providing a

room or building number was not enough, the audience recommended the use of a man to show

the location of The DEN. Finally, we did not mention The DEN’s hours of operation.

The feedback from our presentation will help to guide the changes and improvements we make

to our program’s message. The changes we plan to make to our PSA presentation include using

the term “Food Insecurity” consistently throughout the presentation. Also, we will provide more
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detailed information about the location, highlight the additional services and resources provided,

and the current hours of operation of The DEN. Finally, we plan to include information to

address the stigma associated with The DEN in a way that will highlight inclusivity and invite as

many members of out target population to utilize the resource.

Program Evaluation

SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis: Food Insecurity Group

Program/video to increasing knowledge and attitude about Food Insecurity at CSUSB.

Strengths Weaknesses
· Video too short
· Informative · Inconsistent terminology
· Short · Didn’t include “inclusivity terms”
· Links to resources · Didn’t address stigma
· Provides value · Didn’t stir emotion; tone
· Stakeholders learned something new · Elaborate
· Campus incentive to give back

Opportunity Threats
· Appealing/captivating · Limited content
· Memorable video · Confusing message
· Creates new connection ·
· Target population likely to learn new · population
information about The DEN · Funding
· Location/access on campus · Limited hours of The DEN
· Access to data · Stigma associated
· Reaching community · Limited fresh produce
· Program development · Commuter campus
· Marketing to target population · Developing program
· Influence of campus community
· Resources – Helping Hands & campus
programs
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· Addressing basic needs

The purpose of our PSA is to increase knowledge and improve attitude about utilizing The DEN

as a resource on campus. A few strengths of our PSA were that it is short, informative and

presented new information to stakeholders. Having a short presentation, just under 5 minutes,

allowed our audience to stay fully engaged keeping their attention throughout the presentation.

Our presentation was informative providing a wealth of basic knowledge about The DEN as well

as providing key educational facts that our audience was unaware of. We informed our audience

that The DEN has various distribution centers around campus for students to access quick "day

packs" of food to help with short-term food assistance. A few weaknesses of our PSA were the

tone, length of presentation, and failure to address stigma. We used the same voice throughout

the presentation making it somewhat monotonous and due to the short length of our presentation

we were not able to go into great detail. Our strengths are turned into opportunities by creating

new resource connections for people to spread the word about The DEN. There is also

opportunity for greater program support and expansion with the ability to advertise to more

people. Potential threats to our program are its limited content and failure to address stigma. In
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the future in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of our PSA we will address our

weaknesses by increasing the length of our presentation allowing us to give more details about

The DEN. We will also speak to the threat of stigma in an all-inclusive way that illustrates that

student should feel comfortable and confident about using The DEN as a resource.

Process Evaluation

Stakeholder Evaluation

The stakeholders for our program include CSUSB students, campus community and alumni, and

the staff for the Office of Community Engagement. CSUSB students, as our target population,

will be utilizing resources from The DEN. As the target population, our message is directed at

the student body who will benefit primarily from the program.

The campus community and alumni are another set of stakeholders. The campus community is

comprised of faculty as well as staff and administrators of CSU, San Bernardino. Chancellor

White’s study provided evidence that the basic needs of students who attended CSUs were not

being met. CSUSB chose to address this need directly by allotting campus funding and support

for The DEN Food Pantry. Administration and CSUSB Cabinet members prioritized this effort.

Through the generous donation of Charles and Shelby Obershaw, CSUSB alumni and members

of the campus community, The DEN Food Pantry was re-named The Obershaw DEN Food

Pantry. The campus community, including various clubs and organizations across campus

continue to support the efforts of The DEN by creating ways to support and promote The DEN

and keep the shelves stocked by creating food drives across campus, regularly.

Finally, CSUSB’s Office of Community Engagement is a stakeholder in our program. It is

through their work and diligence that The Obershaw DEN is able to provide the nourishment and
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resources that it does to our students. Our program to promote their efforts is highlighting the

value of the work they do to organize the program and ensure the resources are utilized.

Description of the Process Used to Design the Program

The program was selected after realizing the alarming statistics about food insecure students and

learning about the availability of resources, such as The DEN at CSUSB have in place to combat

food insecurity. The key players in this program development include students and the campus

community including staff and faculty because there is vested interest in the academic success of

CSUSB students, which food insecurity can negatively impact.

After finding out the shocking statistics about food insecure students at CSUSB, we looked into

the resources that The DEN provides and worked strategically to develop a PSA in order to

increase knowledge about food insecurity and also about the resources available to students to

combat food insecurity. The CSUSB campus community and staff in the Office of Community

Engagement developed The DEN Food Pantry program to address the lack of basic needs of

students at CSUSB. The program also has become a valuable source of connection to additional

community resources for students with issues such as housing, counseling, etc. Our efforts and

decision to promote this resource relied on the knowledge of the value that this program

provides.

As a group, we face few issues when developing our program. The most important task was

ensuring we all had accurate information and were able to relay our PSA message in an

engaging way. Group communication was necessary for the various ideas we had to be translated

into the program. Through the use of a normative and relative needs assessments, we gathered
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relevant data on food insecurity among CSU and CSUSB students and how they compared to the

National rate.

Group operations were directed primarily through text messaging. Additionally, we would

convene after formal class meetings to discuss the developmental progress and delegate tasks.

Because there was limited face-time, this affected the development of our program because

occasionally, communication was unclear and tasks were inevitably delayed. Other meeting

opportunities could have been accommodated for development purposes.

Recommendations

After presenting our PSA, we received constructive feedback and criticism from second year

graduate students on how to improve the quality and effectiveness of our program. There were

several recommendations given that we will be implementing into our program next year. These

include better addressing the stigma associated with using The DEN and expanding the length of

our presentation in order to include background information and operational details about the

service and the extent of their resources. Next year, we will include a short video that depicts a

student utilizing The DEN so that students know what to expect. We also plan to add several

slides about the location using a campus map as visual representation, hours of operation, and an

outline of the process of picking up food at The DEN. Using the recommendations given to us

and implementing these small changes will have a profound impact on the our programs success

and its impact on our target student audience.

Timeline
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Table 1: The Gantt Table below represents the timeline of the developed program:

TASKS Jan Jan Jan Jan Feb Feb Feb Feb Mar Mar Mar Mar
8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 5 6 12 19

Program
Planning

Program
Research

Program
Design

Program
Implementation

Program
Follow-up
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Reflection

In the Health Education and Planning class, I have understood and applied the various

fundamental concepts and theories that aid in the effectiveness of public health programs.

Knowledge and understanding of these concepts such as the various theories learnt are crucial in

application to different programs in a healthcare setting. Understanding the health of people and

applying theories and principles targeted at changing their health behavior is a critical role of a

health educator. In this course, I have learned the practicality of program evaluation, also, the 4

P’s principle in terms of product, price, promotion and place. This, I can relate to and add to my

line of work in public health. I have worked in a group setting by understanding theories,

applying it to people’s health behaviors and collaborated this work by using various concepts of

program planning. Identifying evaluations such as formative as well as process evaluations into

our health program paper has definitely proven how these are critical for the success of a health

program. Also, identifying factors on why food insecurity is a threat, how to address it by

utilizing resources and addressing the stigma associated with the use of the resource amongst

college students. Working on this program has improved my skill in program planning, applying

theories into models, implementation of these programs, assessment of needs, as well as various

evaluations such as process, summative, etc, which can be applied into the program for its best

efficiency. Working on the PSA and report for the health education program, the course has

helped me improve my research skills, academic writing skills as well as skills on several free

and resourceful online tools, such as PowToons, Zotero. Additionally, the course has given me

an opportunity to build on my team-work and time-management skills. I would have preferred to

have learnt more on economic evaluations as it is critical to analyze the cost-effectiveness of the

programs which have a direct impact on the shareholders of the program.

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References

California State University, San Bernardino. (2017). Facts and Stats. Retrieved from

https://www.csusb.edu/about-csusb/facts-and-stats

Crutchfield, R., Clark, K., Gamez, S., Green, A., Munson, D., & Stribling, H. (2016). Serving

Displaced and Food Insecure Students in the CSU. Retrieved from

https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/student-success/basic-needs-initiative/Docu

ments/ServingDisplacedandFoodInsecureStudetnsintheCSUJanuary20163.8.16.pdf

Crutchfield, R. & Maguire, J. (2018). California State University Office of the Chancellor

Study of Student Basic Needs. Retrieved from

https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/student-success/basic-needs-initiative/Docu

ments/BasicNeedsStudy_phaseII_withAccessibilityComments.pdf

Feeding America. (2018). Hunger in California. Retrieved from

http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/california/

Health Communication. (2018). Health Belief Model. Retrieved from

https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/communication-theories/sorted-by-

cluster/Health%20Communication/Health_Belief_Model/

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2018). Nutrition and Weight Status.

Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/nutrition-and-

weight-status/objectives
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Appendix

Meeting Minutes

Minutes is an official written record of group meetings. Minutes contain a brief, objective

summary of what is said and what is done. As a group, we did not have many convened face-to-

face meetings where meeting minutes were taken, rather, we opted to use text messages to

communicate and relay information.

‘Food Insecurity’ Group Text Messaging Members: Jerry Aneke, Aleka Arredondo, Suborna

Bhattacharjee, Anabel Castaneda, Niani Coker, Farhan Danish

● Sunday, January 28, 2018: Castaneda confirmed with members for ‘Stress Management’

as topic for submission for HSCI 613.

● Monday, February 5, 2018: Group topic was changed from ‘Stress Management’ to

‘Food Insecurity’ during HSCI 613 class session.

● Saturday, February 17, 2018: Arredondo completed a target population analysis for Quiz

2 submission. Aneke questioned the inclusion of a references page. Castaneda cited

sources used. Coker approved and group members submitted target population

assignment as Quiz 2.

● Monday, February 19, 2018: Bhattacharjee initiated communication regarding Reflection

1: Mapping Determinants assignment. Coker combined bulleted ideas into paragraph

format. Danish approved and group submitted Reflection 1: Mapping Determinants

assignment.

● Thursday, March 1, 2018: Bhattacharjee initiated communication regarding Food

Insecurity PSA.
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● Sunday, March 4, 2018: Coker initiated communication regarding PowToons software to

create Food Insecurity PSA. Group agreed to meet on Monday, March 5 at 6:00 p.m. in

PS 222.

● Tuesday, March 6, 2018: With reference to PSA/PowToons, Danish confirmed that video

was complete. Castaneda noted inaudible voice-overs. Danish created YouTube link to

PowToons video on Food Insecurity and shared with group. Group presented PowToons

to second year MPH students, and guests.

● Thursday, March 22, 2018: Arredondo initiated communication regarding Food

Insecurity group paper.

● Saturday, March 24, 2018: Group maintained communication with regard to sections

assigned for Food Insecurity group paper. Paper was finalized for individual submission.

Presentation Feedback

Table 2: HSCI 612 Feedback

This table represents the responses of the second year Masters of Public Health (MPH) students.

Score Range 0-3

Prescription Marijuana HIV Bike Safety Stress Sarah

Drug Abuse Abuse Management Jose
Vanessa
Sarah
Athena

Message 3 2 2 2 2 2

Content 2 2 2 2 2 2

Purpose 2 2 2 1 1 2

Target 3 2 2 1 3 2
Audience
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Creativity 2 1 2 1 2 2
and
Originality

Audience 2 1 2 2 1 2
Response

Total 14 10 12 9 11 12

Program Plan Materials

Food Insecurity PSA Link: https://youtu.be/ddHgn6wSAok