Photovoice study to capture UW students’ experiences with food security

University of Washington researchers in the School of Public Health are now recruiting participants for a unique Photovoice study about food security on the UW campus. Photovoice is a powerful qualitative research method that gathers photos and narratives from community members to amplify their voices and ultimately take actionable steps. The goal of the study is to raise awareness of the issue of college student food insecurity, encourage research on sustainable practices, and introduce the benefits and limitations of the methodology to other fields of expertise.

Read on to find out how you can participate and/or more about the project to be conducted during winter quarter 2025.

Eligibility

You may apply to participate if:

• You are a full-time UW undergraduate student
• You live in a dorm on the UW campus or live off campus but eat food acquired on campus regularly. Examples include: campus dining halls, restaurants, or vending machines.

How to Enroll

Complete the Participant Interest Form by Jan. 24, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. (noon)

Expectations

Participants will be asked to:

• Photograph food and food environment over the winter quarter.
• Participate twice in a 2-hour focus group discussion expected to be held in February, sharing your experience with food security on the UW campus.

Compensation

Participants will receive a small honorarium, free nutritious snacks at focus groups, basic photography lessons, and an option to showcase your photography at an exhibit at the end of the year.

Project Background

The UW Photovoice project focuses on food security on the UW campus and is led by Michelle Averill, teaching professor in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) and director of the Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health (FSNH) program; Yona Sipos, associate teaching professor in DEOHS and associate director of undergraduate experiential learning in the FSNH program; and Derek Jennings, associate dean for Indigenous Affairs in the School of Public Health and an assistant professor in the Department of Health Systems and Population Health. The team also includes Fernanda Nunes, a UW graduate student in the MPH-Nutrition degree program and Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics in the FSNH program who serves as a research assistant and teaching assistant for the project.

The project planning was supported by two student teams completing their undergraduate capstone projects in winter 2024. The student teams provided support laying the foundation for the project which included helping in the development of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) application required to submit the project, creation of an extensive annotated bibliography, and the development of a best practices guide for project submissions.

Learn more about the students’ capstone work involved in project planning.

Informational Flyer

January 6, 2025