Exploring the Role of the Food Environment in Dietary Acculturation: A Study amongst Moroccan Immigrants in The Netherlands

Jillian O’Mara,Mary Nicolaou,Wilma Waterlander

doi:10.3390/ijerph18073328

Abstract

Food environments play a role in immigrants’ dietary acculturation, but little is known about the directionality of the relationship. The objective was to explore the interaction between the food environment and food procurement behaviors in the process of dietary acculturation. A qualitative study design using in-depth interviews and a mapping exercise was conducted. The immigrant group studied used a variety of factors to select which foods to procure. Traditional foods were readily available, shifting the determining factors to a combination of affordability, acceptability and accessibility. The food environment is dynamic and responds to shifting market demands. Policies regarding food procurement behaviors should consider these upstream effects and be aware of the availability of traditional foods for immigrant groups.

Highlights

The dietary patterns of migrant-origin groups often differ from that of host populations [1] there is diversity in the extent to which these differences persist given residence duration and contact with host cultures
The findings of this study were consistent with our expectation that there is a bidirectional interaction between the immigrant group
Public Health 2021,3.18, The findings of this study were consistent with our expectation that there is a bidirectional interaction between the immigrant group (Moroccan people in two Amsterdam neighborhoods)

Summary

Introduction

The dietary patterns of migrant-origin groups often differ from that of host populations [1] there is diversity in the extent to which these differences persist given residence duration and contact with host cultures. Some groups are more likely to preserve traditional eating patterns, while other groups adopt the eating patterns of the host country more readily. These changing eating patterns are part of the process of dietary acculturation which can be described as a dynamic phenomenon that continues to evolve throughout the immigrant’s experience in the host country [2]. Changes in dietary behavior due to migration and, presumably, acculturation are likely to have an impact on health. Understanding the determinants of dietary acculturation is necessary for the development of public health strategies to mitigate the unequal burden of chronic disease of migrant-origin groups

Objectives

Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion