Tech-enabled solutions for student hunger: A comprehensive analysis of food surplus, community dynamics, and usability
(1) University of Ibadan, Oyo state
(2) University of Ibadan, Oyo state
(3) University of Ibadan, Oyo state
(4) University of Ibadan, Oyo state
(5) University of Ibadan, Oyo state
Corresponding Author
Abstract
In this study, we explore the interconnected issues of food wastage, student hunger, and the potential of technology to facilitate food sharing. We begin by examining the general problem of food insecurity on university campuses and its impact on student well-being and academic performance. Through a mixed-methods approach involving 30 participants (13 Males (43%) and 17 Females (57%)), we gather both qualitative and quantitative data to understand attitudes towards surplus food and the challenges of accessing food when needed. Our quantitative findings reveal that while 69.6% of participants are willing to share surplus food, only 39.1% have access to a viable network for food distribution. Qualitative insights further uncover the profound effects of food insecurity on students, who advocate for technological solutions featuring financial tracking, transparent food distribution, and privacy measures to enhance the food-sharing experience. Building on these findings, we conduct a heuristic evaluation of a low-fidelity prototype designed to address the identified challenges. The results underscore the need for a user-friendly interface that aligns with students' preferences, with key areas for refinement highlighted for future development. Following this, we refine the application and evaluate it using the System Usability Scale, which provides valuable insights into user experiences with the FeedLine prototype. While the overall impressions are positive, the feedback also highlights the need for improved onboarding support and clearer communication of the app's capabilities. This research contributes to the development of a technology-driven solution aimed at alleviating food-related challenges among students.
Keywords
References
Arogundade OT, Atasie C, Misra S, Sakpere AB, Abayomi-Alli OO, & Adesemowo KA (2021). Improved predictive system for soil test fertility performance using fuzzy rule approach. In Soft Computing and its Engineering Applications: Second International Conference, icSoftComp 2020, Changa, Anand, India, December 11–12, 2020, Proceedings 2 (pp. 249-263). Springer Singapore.
Arogundade O, Sakpere A, Misra S, Alonge C, Garg L, Abayomi-Alli A, & Bello O (2021, December). A Web-Based Instant Messaging System for Effective Communication Among Organic Farmers and Researchers. In International Conference on Information Systems and Management Science (pp. 291-300). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Arria AM & Payne DC (2017). Student Hunger on Campus: Food Insecurity Among College Students and Implications for Academic Institutions. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318403279_Student_Hunger_on_Campus_Food_Insecurity_Among_College_Students_and_Implications_for_Academic_Institutions
Broton KM, Mohebali M, & Lingo MD (2022). Basic needs insecurity and mental health: Community college students’ dual challenges and use of social support. Community College Review, 50(4), 456-482.
Brooke J (2013). SUS: a retrospective. Journal of usability studies, 8(2), 29-40.
Chowdhury M, Rahman S, & Ahmed F (2022). Community-Driven Mobile Applications for Enhancing Food Security: A Case Study in Rural Bangladesh. International Journal of Agricultural Technology, 15(4), 521-536.
FAO (2018). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/3/I9553EN/i9553en.pdf
Food For Orphans. (n.d.). Donate. Retrieved from https://www.foodfororphans.org/donate
Frank L, Finkbinder EM, & Powell VS (2021, January). “Free Food on Campus!”: A Novel Use of Instructional Technology to Reduce University Food Waste and Feed Hungry Students | Request PDF. ResearchGate. Retrieved September 20, 2023, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348188402_Free_Food_on_Campus_A_Novel_Use_of_Instructional_Technology_to_Reduce_University_Food_Waste_and_Feed_Hungry_Students
Garcia I, Donovan A, Lehmann Y, Perfetto J, Kulshreshtha S, Shrihari D, Kulshreshtha M, & Khan S (2021). Tech Led Solutions to Address Food Insecurity during a Global Pandemic. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/789654
Hagedorn-Hatfield RL, Hood LB, & Hege A (2022). A decade of college student hunger: What we know and where we need to go. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 837724.
Helpi. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://helpi.org/
Krupp B, Gersey J, & Lebo F (2022, October). Campus plate: connecting students on college campuses to reduce food waste and food insecurity. In Proceedings of the Conference on Research in Adaptive and Convergent Systems (pp. 172-177).
Mansvelt N, Schenck R, & Soji Z (2022, November 19). Students' conceptualizations of student hunger. Students' conceptualizations of student hunger | South African Journal of Higher Education. https://www.journals.ac.za/sajhe/article/view/4725
Montesi S (2023, August 10). Sustainable Development Goal: Zero Hunger. National Geographic Education. Retrieved September 20, 2023, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/sustainable-development-goal-zero-hunger/
Nielsen J & Molich R (1990, March). Heuristic evaluation of user interfaces. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (pp. 249-256).
Parlasca CM, Mußhoff O, & Qaim M (2020). Can mobile phones improve nutrition among pastoral communities? Panel data evidence from Northern Kenya. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12566
Rogers Y (2022). HCI theory: classical, modern, and contemporary. Springer Nature.
Sakpere AB, Kayem AV, & Ndlovu T (2015, March). A usable and secure crime reporting system for technology resource constrained context. In 2015 IEEE 29th International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications Workshops (pp. 424-429). IEEE.
Sehgal S, Aggarwal S, Kaushik P, Trehan S, & Deepanshu (2024). Food Sustainability: Challenges and Strategies. In Sustainable Food Systems (Volume I) SFS: Framework, Sustainable Diets, Traditional Food Culture & Food Production (pp. 73-103). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
ShareTheMeal (n.d.) – Retrieved from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.sharethemeal.app&pcampaignid=web_share
Wagner F, Kaneli T, & Masango M (2021). Exploring the relationship between food insecurity with hunger and academic progression at a large South African University. Exploring the relationship between food insecurity with hunger and academic progression at a large South African University. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1753-59132021000500017
Zero Hunger App (n.d.) – Retrieved from https://devpost.com/software/zero_hunger
Article Metrics
Abstract View : 47 timesPDF Download : 11 times
DOI: 10.57046/MPDU4475
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2024 Proceedings of the Nigerian Academy of Science
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.