Daily Reality of Food Insecurity: A PhotoVoice Study of Food Insecure Residents in a Rural, Southern State

2025/05/18 by Marissa J. Spear, Jenni A. Vaughan, Chelsea Barker +15 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Health Professions · #Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations #Organic Food and Agriculture #Urban Agriculture and Sustainability

paper · doi:10.1080/19320248.2025.2505951

openalex publication_date 2025/05/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Arkansas has the highest prevalence of food insecurity in the U.S. This qualitative study is one of few to explore the daily reality of food insecurity in a rural, Southern state in the U.S. through PhotoVoice. A sample of seven food insecure residents participated in a PhotoVoice project as part of a food insecurity community of practice. Thematic analysis of participant discussion was conducted. Four themes emerged: 1) "community receiving and community giving"; 2) high cost of healthy foods; 3) time cost of food assistance; and 4) navigating resource scarcity. Findings can inform interventions that better support food insecure residents.

Citations

• Community-Based Participatory Research Contributions to Intervention Research: The Intersection of Science and Practice to Improve Health Equity
• Development and Validity of a 2-Item Screen to Identify Families at Risk for Food Insecurity

Discussions

• What does food insecurity look like in rural America? 💭 New research used PhotoVoice to analyze photos from parts of Arkansas where food insecurity is most prevalent, and found that time burdens, hi [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]