Date of Award
2022
Document Type
Scholarly Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Breann Lamborn
Abstract
Food insecurity is a problem facing the United States that often has few solutions. Those who face the challenges of food insecurity are known as the food-insecure population. Since the persistence of food insecurity, poorer health outcomes have become positively associated with the food-insecure population. After reviewing the literature, it was found that difficulties with the occupations of maintaining personal and home hygiene and resource seeking were prevalent and found to lead to poorer health outcomes. Difficulties with maintaining personal and home hygiene were found to stem from a lack of access or money to spend on personal and home hygiene supplies. Difficulties with resource seeking were found to stem from the lack of knowledge and use of geographically indexed databases. Two wellness education sessions were created for the food-insecure population to address these concerns and present solutions to these occupational difficulties. Theories including the Ecology of Human Performance (EHP), Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, principles of occupational justice, and trauma-informed care were used to comprehensively understand the food-insecure population, their needs, their occupational impacts, as well as the best way to address this population. Further research on occupational therapy’s role and interventions concerning the food-insecure population is warranted.
Recommended Citation
Grensteiner, Erin M., "Wellness Education For The Food Insecure Population" (2022). Occupational Therapy Capstones. 506.
https://commons.und.edu/ot-grad/506