Using a Household Food Inventory to Assess the Availability of Traditional Vegetables among Resettled African Refugees.

Catherine Gichunge,Shawn Somerset,Neil Harris

doi:10.3390/ijerph13010137

Abstract

A cross-sectional sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted among household food preparers to examine the association between home availability and consumption of traditional vegetables among resettled African refugees living in Queensland, Australia. Home availability of traditional African vegetables was associated with age, having a vegetable garden, employment status, and having a supermarket in the local neighborhood. Food preparers from homes with low vegetable availability were less likely to consume the recommended number of vegetable servings. Barriers faced in the food environment included language, lack of availability of traditional vegetables and lack of transport. All of these aspects contributed to the study findings that both individual and food environment characteristics may play a role in access to and availability of food and vegetable consumption of resettled refugees. Consumption of traditional foods among the resettled refugees continues post resettlement.

Highlights

Migration, whether local or international, forced or voluntary, invariably leads to a change of environment that migrants have to adapt to and how this is done may impact their health positively or negatively
This study provides an insight into the home availability of traditional vegetables among resettled
African refugees and associated individual and food environment characteristics. Such information is useful in the development of health and nutrition promotion programs for similar population groups that have moved to a new and unfamiliar food environment

Summary

Introduction

Whether local or international, forced or voluntary, invariably leads to a change of environment that migrants have to adapt to and how this is done may impact their health positively or negatively. The world refugee population has grown substantially over the past few decades [1] and protracted situations in countries like the Syrian Arab Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Sudan make it difficult for refugees to return to their homeland. This leads to resettlement in either a first or third country of asylum to enable them to lead a “normal” life while offering them protection. African refugees invariably spend an extended time in camps where the main diet is derived from food aid [2] which may cushion them from consuming processed foods typical of the nutrition transition. As a result of these changes in dietary habits, many resettled African refugees develop a high BMI despite

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion