Migration, Stress and the Challenges of Accessing Food: An Exploratory Study of the Experience of Recent Afghan Women Refugees in Adelaide, Australia

Abstract

This study explored the migration and food experiences of Afghani women refugees residing in Adelaide, South Australia for 2 years or less. In-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 women between May and September 2017. The data were thematically analysed, and the Social Determinants of Health Framework was used to discuss the findings. Five key themes emerged from the data. In the transition country (Iran/Pakistan), respondents experienced (i) trauma, discrimination and exclusion and (ii) familiar food culture, but food stress. In the destination country (Adelaide, Australia) respondents experienced (iii) a sense of precariousness, (iv) unfamiliar food culture and (v) challenges in accessing halal food. Afghani refugees experienced considerable stressors both in the transition and the final destination country but for different reasons. In the transition country, stresses related to the lack of social services and support, discrimination, racism and poverty seemed to have affected their ability to afford food. In Australia stressors pertaining to socioeconomic, housing and employment precariousness, as well as difficulties in accessing halal foods were identified as challenges. Furthermore, food stress in Australia was associated with the cultural appropriateness of food, the complexity of the food system, and the women’s lack of skills and experiences in navigating the food system. With increasing refugee and immigration flows globally, it is necessary to acknowledge how food and social determinants intersect for refugee immigrants to ensure positive health outcomes.

The family crisis migration stress framework: A framework to understand the mental health effects of crisis migration on children and families caused by disasters

“…These transition country experiences may also be traumatic and impact crisis migrant family health outcomes. For example, qualitative work with Afghani women who settled in Australia found that many faced violence, exclusion, and discrimination from other refugee groups and native peoples during their time in refugee camps in Pakistan (Kavian et al., 2020). Additionally, many Rohingya refugee families have made Bangladesh or Malaysia their country of “first asylum,” but may continue on to other countries or return to Myanmar when it is safe to do so (Shaw et al., 2020).…”

Mobile Phone Buying Decisions among Young Adults: An Empirical Study of Influencing Factors

“…However, compared to the expansion of mobile phones in Pakistan, there have been 30 million fixed and mobile telephone lines. As the country's population was more than 162.4 million in 2008 [23], the country had 5.37 million fixed telephone lines. The subscription of mobile has surged over 19.6 million, which makes the sector of telecom stronger than ever.…”

Meneroka Cabaran dan Isu dalam Adaptasi Antarabudaya Populasi Orang Pelarian serta Pencari Suaka di Negara Transit dan Penempatan Semula

“…Menetap di kem pelarian atau kawasan perumahan, keadaan hidup populasi orang pelarian dan pencari suaka dicirikan sebagai tidak selesa/kondusif atau 'in poor condition' (Labys, Dreyer & Burns, 2017;Pezerović, Babić & Porobić, 2019). Selain itu, mereka juga tinggal dalam jarak yang dekat di antara satu dengan yang lain atau 'close proximity' (Syam et al, 2019;Kavian et al, 2020). Justeru, banyak kajian terdahulu berkaitan adaptasi populasi ini menekankan cabaran dan isu dalam adaptasi antarabudaya.…”