Date of Conferral

8-19-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Sciences

Advisor

Jason Baker

Abstract

Food insecurity is an emerging public health issue impacting collegiate student-athletes enrolled at Historically Black Universities (HBUs). Recent research revealed that 63% of football players have reported some form of food insecurity which disproportionately impacts Black athletes at higher rates. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences and dietary behaviors of freshman male collegiate student-athletes who lacked access to food despite receiving athletic scholarships in a publicly funded HBU in Maryland. The research questions for this qualitative study focused on exploring the lived experiencing of Black male athletes who were experiencing food insecurity at an HBU. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was the theoretical framework that proposed that an individual has a specific order of physiological needs that must be satisfied before additional needs can be achieved. A phenomenological research approach was used to conduct semi structured interviews, using a purposive sampling size to recruit six Black male collegiate athletes who played football and were receiving an athletic scholarship. A triangulation of data sources was used to help develop trustworthiness during the data collection process. Key findings from this study revealed that contributing factors to food insecurity included limited time constraints, cost of food, lack of access to a variety of healthy food, and dietary behaviors such as skipping meals. This study will help to contribute to the scarcity of literature related to understanding the lived experiences of minority athletes experiencing food insecurity at HBUs. This study can impact social change by helping to achieve the Healthy People 2030 objective related to educational access by helping students achieve higher education.

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