Nutritional needs of refugee children in the UK

Abstract

The movement of populations from developing countries and across Europe is increasingly a topic for policy debate and health research. Yet scant attention has been paid to assessment of health and nutrition among the wide diversity of immigrant groups recently arriving in the UK, many of whom are refugees and asylum-seekers. This is surprising in view of the current political focus on reducing expenditure on resettlement of refugees and asylum-seekers 1. The Government seeks to limit provisions so as to reduce costs to local and national authorities 2 and, as in other countries, policy emphasis is on exclusion, deterrence and control 3. Meanwhile, health practitioners point out that poverty, stress, deprivation and limited access to primary care combine to create special health needs among refugees 4,5 , with children particularly at risk 6±8. THREATS TO REFUGEE HEALTH WHAT HAPPENS TO THE DIETS OF REFUGEE CHILDREN? We should expect traditional food habits to vary enormously between different refugee groups and also to change in response to new conditions, access to foods and availability of cooking facilities. Child feeding and weaning 360

Food insecurity among refugee families in East London: results of a pilot assessment

“…Focus feedback discussions with local experts revealed strong concerns that a non-service based survey would reveal more food-insecure refugee families with young children. Although the sample size is inadequate to allow stringent statistical tests of hypotheses about the underlying causes and correlates of food insecurity, evidence that being a recent arrival, a younger mother and having lack of access to benefits are risk factors for child hunger corroborates qualitative statements by service providers working directly with refugee families 14 , and is cause for concern. Mothers reported few changes in their situation during a feedback focus discussion conducted 4-8 weeks after interview, suggesting that food insecurity was persistent over time.…”

“…Recent research reveals gaps in service provision to refugees that include appropriate language advocacy, insufficient provision of information about health care rights and limited awareness of refugee issues among health professionals 12,13 . Statutory and voluntary providers express concerns that limited access to cash and transport, irregular lifestyles, temporary accommodation with inadequate cooking facilities and social isolation of mothers with young children adversely affect the nutritional well-being of refugee families 14 . To date, no assessment has been carried out to evaluate these concerns or develop nutrition interventions among Britain's diverse, sizeable and growing refugee communities.…”

Mental Health Problems of Refugee Children: A Case Study of Transit Center Intervention in the Republic of Macedonia

“…Montgomery (2008) found that two thirds of refugee children (N=311) who had been exposed to war, violence and torture suffered from anxiety, and about 30% suffered from sleep problems. Separation from both parents appeared to be an important factor for mental health issues and contributed to a significantly increased level of depression, anxiety and PTSD (Sellen &Tedstone, 2000;Simich, Hamilton & Baya, 2006;Hodes et al, 2008). Fazel et al (2012) explored the mental health needs of 101 refugee children in six schools in Oxford, aged 5to18 years.…”

The Situation of Children in Immigrant Families in the United Kingdom

“…Much of the research on the health needs of refugee and asylum-seeking children is critical of policy and practice. Sellen and Tedstone (2000) find that the Government's immigration polices work against the satisfaction of the special health needs of refugee children. They note that, while the Government has tried to cut costs and reduce the burden on local authorities by excluding and deterring immigrants, health practitioners have been struggling to address the particular needs of refugee children arising from the poverty, stress, deprivation and limited health care access they face.…”

“…Good health has an impact on the inclusion of immigrants in employment and the community. The evidence on health outcomes among immigrants is limited, however, and relatively little attention has been paid to assessing health among the diverse immigrant groups (Johnson 2006, Sellen andTedstone 2000). There is no readily accessible data source on the health of new immigrants and refugees, nor is there any direct authoritative perspective on epidemiological, personal, public, or occupational health issues among these groups.…”