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• Adoption of New Lifestyles Among Refugee Families: Health Implications of Integration

  • Dr. Solveig A. Cunningham and the Crossroads to Health Team

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After observation and surveillance, in reference to food decision-making, it could be summarized that adult migrants in Atlanta presented attitudes where healthfulness was the most important consideration for picking foods. It was also found that taste played an important role in food choice, however, price was only a small consideration. The subjects of the study presented good knowledge of what is unhealthy with the possible exception of juice.

 

Findings about newly discovered foods included the subjects identifying that fast food and sodas are among the most commonly listed foods eaten since migration, although they also did feature among pre-migration diets. Among the migrants interviewed, it was found that with migration, migrants saw changes in the types of grains consumed.

 

In terms of ideational, social, and economic factors, some major reasons for adopting new and  abandoning old items are social, and include: popularity of food in the US, loss of social significance of foods from the home country, a fairly low self-assessed health and perceived control over health, as many perceive themselves as too heavy or too thin.

 

In terms of physical activity and inactivity, it was found that since migration, there had been some decreases in walking and housework and increase in sports and play for migrants, and that television was a main form of entertainment.

 

Lastly, the role of children in bringing new items was found to be significant, as children’s preferences were important considerations for adopting new foods, especially since children tended to advocate for soda and junk food most often at the grocery store.

 

• America Through the Eyes of Newly Arrived Refugee Youth

  • Rabab Al-Araji, Rebecca Jones, Dr. Solveig A. Cunningham

 

The study was conducted through photovoice, a method of survey where subjects take photographs of their experiences which are prompted by certain categories (such as food, leisure activities, entertainment, etc.). About one-third of captured images in this study depicted technology at home or school, for entertainment or education. In connection to the prevalence of technology in this study among migrant youth, similarly, in the U.S., television viewing is one of the most common leisure-time sedentary behaviors, and has been studied extensively in adults and children. Prior findings suggest that this sedentary behavior may have detrimental effects on overweight and obesity that can be independent of leisure-time physical activity level.

Given the ubiquitous and increasing nature of sedentary behaviors, further investigation is warranted to clarify the impact of behaviors from different domains. Moreover, increases in television viewing may be associated with increased calorie intake among youth. This association is mediated by increasing consumption of calorie-dense low-nutrient foods frequently advertised on television. It is especially crucial to promote media awareness in migrant youth and to highlight the negative health consequences of eating highly processed foods seen in advertisements.

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