Healthful, Cultural Foods and Safety Net Use Among Cambodian and Brazilian Immigrant Communities in Massachusetts

Abstract

Declining health and food security status among low-income immigrants in the U.S. may result from limited access to healthful, cultural foods and safety net programs. We held focus group discussions with low-income Cambodian and Brazilian immigrants (11 groups, n = 84) living in Massachusetts. Cambodians and Brazilians valued healthful, cultural foods, emphasizing their beliefs that cultural foods are healthier and beneficial for weight management and aging. Although both groups could access these foods, some individuals had difficulty affording them. Cambodians reported that food quality decreased over the month due to inadequate resources. Cambodians relied on SNAP, WIC, families, and food pantries; however, Brazilians generally did not participate in safety net programs. Barriers to accessing and using safety nets appear to limit diet quality for some immigrant families. Targeted nutrition interventions should build on current knowledge of and desire for healthful, cultural foods in the context of available safety nets.

Food environment interactions after migration: a scoping review on low- and middle-income country immigrants in high-income countries

“…Cultivated own food to save money. Carney and Krause, 2020 (55) To examine the possibilities for engaged research oriented towards generating "healthy publics" and addressing food insecurity across disparate geo-graphical and political settings and amid structural and social constraints (29) (28) (30) To understand what makes it easier or harder for Latina mothers to provide their children with healthy food (53) (31) Unclear. Seattle, USA Qualitative; phenomenological A difference in access to fresh foods after migration, families from refugee camps reported greater access (54) To gather low-income community members' opinions about their food purchasing choices and their perceptions of the most effective ways to increase access to healthful foods in their communities Not specified.…”

“…These supermarkets were often further away, requiring transportation (29) , and local stores were considered more expensive and of lower quality (32,56,59) . In order to acquire foods, participants typically visited several stores or food sources (27,32,47,49,53,56,58,60,82) particularly ethnic stores to supplement what they could procure at the supermarket. What are the rules related to food?…”

“…This was particularly appreciated in times of need (38,58) and was seen as a facilitator to food security (62,67,86) . Though these benefits were supplementary in nature, many families reported them as the main family food budget (27,37,39,49,62) , although insufficient (28,29,53,63) . However, not all immigrants accessed all benefits (67) .…”

Dry Bean Preferences and Attitudes among Midwest Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women

“…In interviews with Hispanic immigrant women in New York City, Park et al found they preferred foods that were fresh and unadulterated by processing or long periods of storage [61]. Cambodian and Brazilian immigrants in Massachusetts also focused on the freshness of their cultural foods [62]. Qualitative inquiry on the barriers to canned bean use may elicit other sociocultural reasons for their avoidance by Iowa Latinas [63].…”

Prevalence, Determinants, and Effects of Food Insecurity among Middle Eastern and North African Migrants and Refugees in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

“…Food insecurity and nutritional inadequacy among refugees have been recorded in a number of studies, including in the UK [ 21 ] and Australia [ 6 ], as well as in the USA [ 22 , 23 ] and Canada [ 24 , 25 ]. However, studies involving migrants/refugees from MENA countries were relatively few compared to those involving older immigrant populations or populations from other regions in the world (e.g., Liberians [ 22 ], and Cambodians and Brazilians [ 23 ] in the USA, and Latinos in Canada [ 24 ]). According to Asbu et al [ 15 ], there are gaps in knowledge about the health status of MENA migrants who have recently arrived in HICs.…”