Acculturation, economics and food insecurity among refugees resettled in the USA: a case study of West African refugees

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Craig Hadley, Emory University; Ariel Zodhiates, Brown University; Daniel W. Sellen, University of Toronto
• Language: English
• Date: 2007-04-01
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Authors 2007
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980007222943
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Public Health Nutrition
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 405
• End Page: 412
• Keywords: mixed methods; immigration; nutrition; assimilation; Liberia; poverty; food security
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Nutrition; Sociology, Public and Social Welfare; Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies

Abstract

Objectives To assess the occurrence and severity of food insecurity, and examine associations between food insecurity and measures of socio-economic status and indicators of acculturation. Design Structured interviews among a non-probability sample of West African refugees at baseline and 6 months' follow-up. Setting Mid-sized city in north-eastern USA. Subjects One hundred and one caregivers with children under the age of 5 years and who have been living the USA for fewer than 4 years. Results Food insecurity was indicated in approximately half of households (53%). The occurrence of food insecurity was associated with measures of socio-economic status such as income, employment status and participation in the Food Stamp Program (P < 0.05). Measures of acculturation such as difficulty in the shopping environment and language difficulty were also associated with the occurrence and severity of food insecurity, as was time lived in the USA (P < 0.05). Among households who had been in the USA for 1 year or less, food insecurity was indicated in 73%, whereas among households who had been in the USA for at least 3 years food insecurity was indicted in 33%. Conclusions Refugees are a potentially vulnerable group and our results echo others in suggesting a need for more thorough monitoring of the health and well-being of recently resettled refugees. These results also suggest that reliance on employment as the sole indicator of success in the resettlement process may be too narrow an indicator. Future research should focus on a wider range of measures of health and well-being.