Food Insecurity among International Migrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the measures imposed to control it have impacted food security globally, particularly among vulnerable populations. Food insecurity, in turn, has repercussions on health, exacerbating pre-existing inequalities. This scoping review maps the literature describing associations between the COVID-19 pandemic and food insecurity among migrants, with a particular view toward health. A total of 909 papers were extracted through four electronic databases, and 46 studies were included. The migrant populations described originated mainly from Latin America (11/46) and were located in North America (21/46). Most studies included refugees and asylum seekers (20/46). The main challenges described were financial hardship (28/46), the effect of migrants’ documentation status on using public food aid (13/46), and the suspension of or reduction in humanitarian assistance due to the economic recession (7/46). The impact of food insecurity on migrants’ mental and physical health was described in 26 of the 46 studies. Authorities in all destination countries should focus their attention and efforts into ensuring nutrition security for migrants in a holistic way, including their economic and legal integration, to be better prepared for health crises in the future.

Effect of food insecurity on depression, anxiety, and stress among resettled Syrian refugees in Ontario

“…For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted vulnerable populations, potentially contributing to a higher prevalence of food insecurity within the Syrian refugee population as well [28]. Moreover, the financial hardship resulting from the pandemic exacerbated the pre-existing disparities and socioeconomic inequalities faced by the refugees, preventing them from accessing adequate nutritious food [29]. Additionally, the implementation of social distancing measures and the closure of public spaces due to the pandemic posed…”

International migration, food insecurity, and mental health: A scoping review protocol

“…The authors conducted a preliminary search in October 2023 in the scientific databases The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed, Web of Science, as well as Google Scholar for existing scoping and systematic reviews on the topic. Several systematic, scoping, and narrative reviews have been conducted on migration, food insecurity, and health in general, without a specific focus on mental health [16,28,[37][38][39][40][41][42]. Other systematic and scoping reviews have been conducted on migration and mental health without a specific focus on food insecurity [43][44][45][46][47].…”

Experiences of food insecurity in the Roma population before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain

“…It is for this reason that studies on this subject are concentrated in low-income countries. However, food insecurity also affects high-income countries, specifically vulnerable populations [ 7 , 8 ]. Furthermore, there is evidence that food insecurity affects women more than men.…”