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Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition
Society for Medical Anthropology
Cosponsored - Oral Presentation Session
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Jacquelyn Heuer
Doctoral Student
University of South Florida
Recent applications of syndemics have examined HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, violence, and food insecurity, while other applications have turned the lens towards stigma, examining the ways in which stigma impacts women’s reproductive healthcare and access to abortions. Stigma syndemics, a relatively new application of syndemics theory, works to illuminate the health consequences of socially pathologized issues such as infertility, incarceration, and poverty. This research aims to apply stigma syndemics to the issue of food insecurity and mental health among veterans, by examining the role of stigma in accessing food assistance and mental health services. Drawing on the socioecological model of food and nutrition in addition to stigma syndemics, this paper explores what factors contribute to the stigma syndemic consisting of food insecurity and mental health for veterans. In doing so, this research aims to better understand how this syndemic impacts health outcomes for veterans.