Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Anthropology

Major Professor

David Himmelgreen, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Heide Castañeda, Ph.D., MPH

Committee Member

Elizabeth Miller, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Dinorah Martinez Tyson, Ph.D., MPH

Committee Member

Karen Besterman-Dahan, Ph.D., RD

Keywords

campus veteran offices, diet quality, embodiment, mental health, structural violence

Abstract

Food insecurity is a concern for many populations, including college students and military veterans. The impacts of food insecurity on student veterans are understudied, especially in relation to community reintegration and health. Employing the theoretical frameworks of structural violence and embodiment, this dissertation explores how community reintegration, food insecurity, diet quality, and health interact and influence one another among post-9/11 student veterans in Florida. In doing so, this dissertation considers how the experiences of student veterans are shaped by social inequities (i.e., structural violence) and how these experiences become embodied, thereby shaping student veterans’ health outcomes.

Utilizing findings from surveys with student veterans (n = 187), as well as biomarker measurements and qualitative interviews from a sub-sample of student veterans (n = 21), this dissertation examines the impacts of community reintegration and food insecurity on the diet quality and subsequent health outcomes. Interviews with student veterans consider the myriad of factors contributing to student veterans’ experiences, including factors that led them to join the military, experiences from their service, challenges encountered after leaving the military, struggles with food insecurity and diet quality, and discussions of health. In addition, through a series of interviews with campus veteran office staff (n = 10), the perspectives of these offices are considered, including current programming for student veterans and their best practices.

This dissertation has several key contributions. First, this dissertation advances anthropological knowledge of post-9/11 veterans. While many anthropologists work within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), anthropological studies of post-9/11 veterans are lacking, especially in relation to theoretical applications. Second, the application of structural violence and embodiment within this dissertation encourage anthropologists to reconsider which populations may be at risk for deleterious health outcomes as a result of social inequities. Similar frameworks may be applied to anthropological studies of community reintegration and food insecurity among other marginalized populations. Finally, this dissertation reviews several key public health implications and provides recommendations for expanding current programming efforts to address the needs of student veterans.

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