FOOD (IN) SECURITY OF PROTRACTED REFUGEES: A GLOBAL CRISIS
Date
2019-11-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Doctoral
Abstract
Abstract
In their journey towards, resettlement, integration or repatriation, protracted refugees face
adverse challenges meeting their basic needs and rights. The relationship between nutrition and
health, establishing links between a lack of certain nutrients and growth, physical health, and
mental health, indicates the need to understand factors that influence healthy eating and food
insecurity. Considering the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero hunger by 2030, it is crucial to investigate both nutrition and food security as an essential component of global health.
This research investigates the barriers and facilitators of food security for protracted
refugee households. A mixed method analysis was used to identify the relationship between food security of protracted refugees and socioeconomic and sociocultural factors. The quantitative
approach, using a sociodemographic and food security questionnaire and logistic regression
procedure, sought to capture the prevalence of household food insecurity and its relation with
sociodemographic variables (including: age of household breadwinner, number of household
members, family types, status in the host country) and socioeconomic variables (including:
income, employment status, home/land/cattle ownership). Through qualitative in-depth
interviews with Afghan refugee households, the complexity of experience surrounding
households food security was examined, specifically by assessing quality of life, perceptions of a balanced meal, food environments (pre- and post-migration), and the push and pull factors of
migration associated with food security.
In the reintegration country, Pakistan, approximately 85% of the protracted refugee
families experienced degrees of household food insecurity, with 52.2% falling under the severe food insecurity category. Food insecurity was significantly associated with the respondents’
gender and the family’s employment status. However, length of residency in Pakistan was not
associated with food security status. In the resettlement country, Canada, more than 93% of
refugee households were food insecure, with a majority being moderately food insecure (65.3%). Food insecurity was found to be associated with low levels of education and in cases where
social assistance was the main source of income. Qualitative data revealed that regardless of the
length of protracted status for Afghan refugees, food insecurity remained a consistent condition
for refugee families in the reintegration country. Qualitative data underscored that all refugees, regardless of their transitory country, experienced chronic food insecurity in the transitory
ountry and, despite improvements in the living conditions in the country of resettlement, food insecurity persisted in Canada. The finding of this research demonstrates, much like their refugee status, that food insecurity is a prolonged and critical situation facing Afghan refugees, despite
processes of integration or resettlement in different countries. These findings also illuminate the
risk for food insecurity following repatriation to Afghanistan.
Description
Keywords
Food Security, refugee, refugee health, resettlement, reintegration, socioeconomic, global health, mixed method, qualitative
Citation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Pharmacy and Nutrition
Program
Community and Population Health Science