Government-Assisted Syrian Refugees' Perceptions of Dietary Acculturation in Canada

Abstract

Diet acculturation is a complicated process where refugees must discover new ways of consuming traditional foods, adopt new foods, or eliminate other foods from their diets in a host country. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to explore the ways in which Syrian refugees describe diet acculturation since their arrival to a city in Southern Ontario. Individuals eligible to participate were government-assisted Syrian refugees who were at least 18 years old. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit participants. Researcher-constructed, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were used to collect data in Arabic. Data were recorded and transcribed verbatim in Arabic and then translated to English. Inductive coding, second-cycle coding and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. Using the dietary acculturation model as a lens, the study found participants sought to maintain a connection to their Syrian identity through food, yet food prices, access, and quality and perceptions of health, along with children’s peer influence resulting in bicultural eating patterns impacted the participants’ experiences with dietary acculturation. The results of the study will assist food and nutrition professionals in understanding dietary acculturation in the Syrian refugee population.