According to national estimates, food insecurity affects an estimated 15 million Americans, making it one of the most widespread threats to child and adolescent health and well-being.

While decades of research have linked food insecurity to challenges in academic performance, emotional health, and development, most studies rely on parents to report children’s experiences.

UConn School of Social Work Assistant Professor Alexandria B. Forte, believes this approach may miss critical insights.

“Adolescence is a unique developmental stage marked by growing independence and social awareness,” Forte says. “Young people may notice or interpret food insecurity differently than their caregivers—particularly when it comes to stress, stigma, or how it affects their relationships and school life.”

Emerging research suggests adolescents understand and navigate food insecurity in ways that may not always be visible to adults. This study centers youth voices to better understand those experiences. — Alexandria Forte

As the recipient of a competitive Dean’s Incentive Award, Forte will explore how adolescents experience food insecurity—and how their perspectives may differ from those of their caregivers.

Her project, “Voices From Within: A Dyadic Qualitative Study Unraveling Perspectives of Youth Experiences in Food Insecure Homes,” will examine how adolescents ages 13–17 experience food insecurity within their households and how those experiences align—or diverge—from their caregivers’ perceptions.

“Food insecurity is often measured through caregiver reports,” Forte explains. “But emerging research suggests adolescents understand and navigate food insecurity in ways that may not always be visible to adults. This study centers youth voices to better understand those experiences.”

Listening through Qualitative Dyadic Interviews

Forte will collect her data through qualitative dyadic interviews—meaning she will interview both adolescents and their caregivers from the same household, but separately. This will allow the researchers to compare how each person describes the same experiences while ensuring privacy when discussing a sensitive topic.

“By capturing both perspectives, we can better understand how families experience food insecurity as a shared but not identical reality,” Forte says.

To begin the project, Forte will recruit 20 caregiver–adolescent pairs from communities—nationwide—most affected by food insecurity.

She’ll conduct their interviews via secure videoconferencing and will explore several key themes, including families’ general experiences with food insecurity, the emotional and social impacts on adolescents, stigma surrounding food scarcity, and the community supports families rely on.

The research will be guided by a “phenomenological approach,” which focuses on understanding individuals’ lived experiences and the meaning they assign to those experiences. Interviews will be recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify patterns within and across family pairs.

This research will be supported by doctoral student, Kacey Thigpen.

Laying the Groundwork for Future Research

The Dean’s Incentive Award is designed to support early-stage, high-potential research or scholarly projects and has strong potential for broader impact and future funding.

“Dr. Forte’s project exemplifies the kind of innovative, impact-driven scholarship we aim to support through the Dean’s Incentive Award,” explains School of Social Work Dean and Professor Laura Curran. “By centering adolescents’ voices in the study of food insecurity, her work has the potential to deepen our understanding of this critical issue and inform more responsive policies and practices.”

The project will take place over the coming year and is designed as a pilot study that will generate preliminary data for future grant applications. Forte plans to use the findings to pursue additional funding from the National Institutes of Health to develop and validate a new measure of adolescent food insecurity and well-being.

Ultimately, she hopes the study will help ensure that policies, programs, and social work interventions reflect the lived realities of young people experiencing food insecurity.

“Adolescents are experts in their own experiences,” Forte says. “This project is about listening to those voices and using what we learn to improve how we identify and respond to food insecurity among youth.”