Preference and Utilization of Food Resources by Refugee and Immigrant Populations

Purpose/Objectives: Cultural values are often cited as important influences on an individual, family or communities’ health decisions. However, culture as a positive predictor of healthy food behavior may be less significant than structural and economic barriers such as documentation status and access to healthy food. This is particularly true for refugee and immigrant children living in districts that are considered food deserts. The 2018 Roanoke City Community Health Assessment reports that 5% of survey respondents indicated their unhealthy behavior is due to lack of cultural value of health. Food preference, however, is seldom reported. Additionally, resources such as food banks/pantries (FBP) can be highly variable in access and requirements of proof of residency, legal documentation, or age. Preliminary attestations from local food banks also indicate additional barriers due to lack of language interpreters and limited hours, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may suggest these factors play a larger role for refugee and immigrant populations on healthy food behaviors. This study seeks to explore challenges to achieving food health for refugees and immigrants by assessing food preferences and utilization of community resources. Demographic and geographic information are analyzed in order to better understand contributing factors.

Design/Methods: A 10-question survey was administered to 132 refugee and immigrant households with assistance of an interpreter as needed. The survey asked about food resources used within the last year, food and household item preferences, and deidentified demographics. The Hunger Vital Sign questionnaire, a validated tool, was used to screen for Food Insecurity.

Results: 86.2% of survey respondents reported having at least one child at home. 46.8% of households with children reported to be food-insecure. Figure 1 shows resources used by households with children. Figure 2 shows food preferences among respondents. Only 20.5% of respondents from a food desert area, despite a high density of FBP, reported utilizing FBP in the last year. Respondents are represented by 25 countries.

Conclusion/Discussion: Households with children, especially those screening positive for food insecurity, primarily utilized community organizations over food pantries and schools for their food help during COVID-19 pandemic. The primary utilization of community organizations includes those living in identified food desert areas. These food desert areas have a higher density of FBP, but rates of utilization are the same compared to all respondents regardless of geographic location. Additionally, milk/eggs and vegetables were the highest requested foods. This provides evidence of preference for healthier foods suggesting culture plays little role in achieving food health. More influential factors to consider are access, availability and awareness of these resources, which may be addressed by interventions that bolster community relationships in order to bridge these gaps.