“I Feel like I’m Eating Rice 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week”: Dietary Diversity among Asylum Seekers Living in Norway

Abstract

Food insecurity is widespread among asylum seekers resettled in Western countries. Limited information exists on the quality of food intake in this population. The aim of this study was to investigate dietary quality among asylum seekers living in Norwegian reception centers. This study has a cross-sectional research design. Dietary intake was assessed through a qualitative 24-hour dietary recall, and the dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated. This study was conducted in eight Norwegian reception centers. A total of 205 adult asylum seekers (131 men and 74 women) participated in the study. The asylum seekers ate on average two meals per day, and one-third ate their first meal after noon. Mean (SD) DDS was 4.0 (1.6) and 2/3 had low dietary diversity, eating from fewer than five food groups. Women had a significantly higher mean DDS (4.5) than men (3.8) (β (95% CI): 0.47 (0.00, 0.95) and a higher consumption of vegetables and fruits. The longer the period of residence in Norway, the higher the DDS, β (95% CI): 0.01 (0.00, 0.02). The asylum seekers’ inadequate dietary intake reveals new forms of poverty and social exclusion in Europe. An inadequate dietary intake may increase the magnitude of difficulty involved in the settlement process and contribute to poorer health.

Asylsøkeres helse og bruk av helsetjenester i Norge

“…Én artikkel beskrev at nylig ankomne innvandrere fra Afrika og Asia hadde lave nivåer av vitamin D sammenlignet med referanseverdier (32). Henjum og kolleger har publisert to tverrsnittsstudier om nyankomne asylsøkeres kosthold og matsikkerhet (33,34). I den ene fant man at asylsøkere bekymret seg for å ha nok mat (33), i den andre at kostholdsvariasjonen hos asylsøkerne var mangelfull (34).…”

Food Skills and Their Relationship with Food Security and Dietary Diversity Among Asylum Seekers Living in Norway

“…This article is part of a larger study on food security and dietary diversity in asylum reception centers. 4,23 The study was a cross-sectional survey among asylum seekers living in 8 Norwegian ordinary reception centers, which are facilities where asylum seekers can live while waiting for their asylum requests to be processed. 24 The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration has the formal responsibility for the centers, and the facilities are run by municipalities, private actors, or nonprofit organizations.…”

“…4,29 The 24-h recall was used to calculate a dietary diversity score (DDS) to assess dietary quality according to the Food and Agriculture Organization guidelines for assessing dietary diversity among women. 23 Eating from fewer than 5 of 10 food groups was defined as low dietary quality. 23 Food skills were measured by adopting questions from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2013 Rapid Response on Food Skills, which is a validated questionnaire.…”

“…10,13,19,20−22 In Norway, a recent study has indicated that a high proportion of asylum seekers living in asylum reception centers are food insecure. 4,23 The tight budget asylum seekers receive from public authorities while waiting for their applications to be processed has emerged as the main cause of food insecurity and poor diet. 4 Qualitative interviews also provided indications that the capability of cooking meals could also contribute to food insecurity and poor diets.…”

“…4 Qualitative interviews also provided indications that the capability of cooking meals could also contribute to food insecurity and poor diets. 23,24 Given the growing importance of nutrition education interventions to promote adequate diets among asylum seekers, this study aims to investigate the potential impact of food skills on food security and dietary diversity. 12,25,26 Based on an investigation among asylum seekers living in Norwegian reception centers, the study wanted to assess whether asylum seekers with higher food skills were more likely to be food secure and have better diets (ie, a higher dietary diversity score).…”