Toward a conceptualization of food poverty in adolescence in high-income countries

This work, conducted togheter with Carlo Cafiero and Roberto Sensi, is part of the DisPARI project's output and aims to develop a conceptualization of food poverty in adolescence that takes into account the multiple dimensions of access to food and, in particular, the relashionship between adolescents' food poverty experience and the related emotional distress.

In our methodological approach to the conceptualization of food poverty in adolescence, we start from the well-established definition of food insecurity as the inability or uncertainty to obtain and consume adequate food in socially acceptable ways (Radimer 1990; Anderson 1990). This definition already reflects the multidimensional nature of the phenomenon, later echoed in the UK literature on food poverty (Dowler et al. 2001; O’Connor et al. 2016). The issue is not only the material availability of food, but also the social and symbolic ways in which it is acquired and consumed. From this perspective, food insecurity (or food poverty) emerges as a complex phenomenon, situated at the intersection of economic conditions, social contexts, and individual lived experiences.

At the same time, we highlight the need to further explore how these dimensions vary across different population groups and how concrete experiences may generate or amplify inequalities. In this regard, listening to the voices of adolescents — and more broadly, of those experiencing food poverty — is essential to fully grasp the phenomenon in its depth and complexity. And as we move into specificity, the very horizon of the definition itself expands.
These aspects are central to our conceptualization of food poverty in adolescence, which integrates the literature from high-income countries with empirical fieldwork, with the aim of informing both understanding and policy more effectively.

You can find the presentation slides here.

It summarizes the main results of the contribution that will soon published in the book titled: "Povertà e benessere alimentare in adolescenza: analisi, strumenti e interventi per il diritto al cibo"