Dia Sanou

Acculturation and Nutritional Health of Immigrants in Canada: A Scoping Review

Although recent immigrants to Canada are healthier than Canadian born (i.e., the Healthy Immigrant Effect), they experience a deterioration in their health status which is partly due to transitions in dietary habits. Since pathways to these transitions are under-documented, this scoping review aims to identify knowledge gaps and research priorities related to immigrant nutritional health. A total of 49 articles were retrieved and reviewed using electronic databases and a stakeholder consultation was undertaken to consolidate findings. Overall, research tends to confirm the Healthy Immigrant Effect and suggests that significant knowledge gaps in nutritional health persist, thereby creating a barrier to the advancement of health promotion and the achievement of maximum health equity. Five research priorities were identified including (1) risks and benefits associated with traditional/ethnic foods; (2) access and outreach to immigrants; (3) mechanisms and coping strategies for food security; (4) mechanisms of food choice in immigrant families; and (5) health promotion strategies that work for immigrant populations.

Risk Factors for Anemia in Preschool Children in Sub-Saharan Africa

Iron is a mineral that is found in nature and foods. It is involved in many physiological functions in the body, and poor iron intake can lead to iron deficiency and later to anemia. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most prevalent nutritional disorder in the world despite iron being the fourth most common element on earth. Anemia is amongst the most important contributing factors to the global burden of disease. According to a recent WHO report on the global prevalence of anemia, one in four people is affected by anemia worldwide (McLean et al., 2009; WHO, 2008), with pregnant women and preschool-age children at the greatest risk. Two thirds of preschool-age children are affected in developing regions of Africa and South East-Asia, and about 40% of the world’s anaemic preschool-age children reside in South-East Asia (McLean et al., 2009; WHO, 2008). Of the 293.1 million children who suffer from anemia worldwide, 83 million (28%) are in subSaharan Africa, representing 67% of the total population of children of this age group in the continent. Adverse health consequences of anemia in preschool children include altered cognitive function, impaired motor development and growth, poor school performance, poor immune function and susceptibility to infections, decreased in responsiveness and activity, increased in body tension and fatigue. Even before clinical symptoms are visible, iron deficiency that leads to anemia is detrimental to children and may condemn one third of the world population to live permanently below their full mental and physical potential. Indeed, the impact of iron deficiency anemia on psychomotor development and cognitive function in children under the age of two years may be irreversible despite adequate therapy (Lozoff et al., 2000). Horton & Ross (2003) estimated the median productivity lost due to iron deficiency anemia alone to be about US

Strategies and Challenges in Recruiting Black Immigrant Mothers for a Community-Based Study on Child Nutritional Health in Ottawa, Canada

2.32 per capita or 4.05% of gross domestic product (GDP). The authors estimated an additional US

Prevalence and determinants of food insecurity in migrant Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean households in Ottawa, Canada

14.46 per capita lost in cognitive function, for a total annual loss (cognitive & productive) of about

Dietary acculturation among black immigrant families living in Ottawa—a qualitative study

50 billion in GDP worldwide from iron deficiency anemia. Due to its detrimental effects among children, effective interventions

Immigration and Food Insecurity: The Canadian Experience—A Literature Review

There is a need to identify barriers to participation as well as recruitment strategies to engage minority parents of young children in health-oriented research. This paper offers insights on strategies and challenges in recruiting black immigrant mothers living in Ottawa (Canada) for a community-based health-oriented research project among 6-to-12-year-old children. We recruited 259 mother–child dyads. Most participants were recruited by team members during community events, fairs, religious gatherings, etc. Other successful strategies included referral from participants, community partners, and through research team members’ networks. Mass media strategies were mostly ineffective. Instant and meaningful incentives, developing community partnerships, building and ensuring study legitimacy and trust, placing convenience of participants ahead of that of research team members, doing community outreach, and taking contact information on the spot, as well as using word-of-mouth were essential to recruiting. This study clearly indicates the importance of adopting multiple recruitment strategies.

Determinants of diet quality among rural households in an intervention zone of Grande Anse, Haiti

Purpose Food insecurity (FI) is an important social determinant of health and is linked with higher health care costs. There is a high prevalence of FI among recent migrant households in Canada. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the prevalence of FI in Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean migrants in Ottawa, and to explore determinants of FI in that population. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted among 190 mothers born in Sub-Saharan Africa or the Caribbean living in Ottawa and having a child between 6 and 12 years old. Health Canada’s Household Food Security Survey Module was used to evaluate participants’ food security in the past 12 months. χ2 tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to measure determinants of FI (n=182). Findings A very high rate of FI (45.1 percent) was found among participants. When numerous determinants of FI were included in a multivariate model, household FI was associated with Caribbean origin, low education attainment, lone motherhood, living in Canada for five years or less and reliance on social assistance. Originality/value These findings highlight the need for FI to be explicitly addressed in migrant integration strategies in order to improve their financial power to purchase sufficient, nutritious and culturally acceptable foods. Enhancing migrants’ access to affordable child care and well-paid jobs, improving social assistance programs and providing more affordable subsidized housing programs could be beneficial.

Visibility of Nutrition Research and Dissemination Challenges in French Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa: A Bibliometric Analysis

ABSTRACT The study explores the dietary acculturation process among first-generation immigrant families from sub-Saharan Africa or the Caribbean living in Ottawa (Canada). In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 mothers. The interaction between accelerating factors and other mediating factors resulted in a spiral of dietary changes triggered by immigration. The spiral evolved at different paces from traditional to acculturated and toward healthy or unhealthy diets and was hard to stop or to change in its direction once it started. Findings call for enhancing immigrant mothers’ food access, food literacy and nutrition-related parenting skills, and their children’s school food environment.

Draw and Tell: Dietary Acculturation as Lived by Black Immigrant Children of African and Caribbean Descent Residing in Canada

Canada is a popular destination for immigrants and integration of newcomers is an important strategy for its demographic growth and economic development. Food inse‐ curity disproportionately affects newcomers in Canada; unfortunately, they occupy the lower end of the socio‐economic spectrum and thus adding to the burden of socio‐cul‐ tural challenges they are already facing. The high level of food insecurity contributes to poor diet quality and the rise in overweight and other chronic health conditions and therefore to the loss of healthy immigrant status. Indeed, statistical evidence, mainly of the overall Canadian population, demonstrates that individuals living in food‐insecure households have higher rates of self‐reported poor health and chronic health conditions. Therefore, understanding and properly addressing the factors associated with food inse‐ curity among Canadian immigrants is crucial for an adequate integration of immigrants. This chapter suggests that an adequate and appropriate understanding of food security for Canadian immigrant populations requires consideration of a cultural perspective in addition to the traditional individual, household and community levels and the develop‐ ment of measurement tools to capture this cultural dimension. It is proposed the concept of cultural food insecurity encompasses the four usual dimensions (availability, acces‐ sibility, utilization, and stability) and a newly proposed fifth cultural dimension. Future research should aim at validating the relevance of this cultural perspective as a fifth pillar for food security and developing measurement tools to assess it.

Prévalence et déterminants non alimentaires de l’anémie et de la carence en fer chez des orphelins et enfants vulnérables d’âge préscolaire du Burkina-Faso

In Haiti, nutrient deficiencies and stunting are major public health concerns. These health problems are caused by poor access and consumption of nutrient-rich foods, among other factors. The aim of this study was to assess the diet quality of rural Haitian households and identify its socioeconomic determinants. In August–September 2012, female caregivers from 529 rural households from the Department of Grande Anse participated in a cross-sectional survey. Collected data included household food production activities and socioeconomic characteristics. Diet quality was assessed using the Household Dietary Diversity Score. Its determinants were identified using multiple linear regression analyses. Results revealed that many households consumed oil/fats, condiments/beverages/spices, roots/tubers, and cereals, whereas few households consumed animal-based foods such as meats/organs, dairy products and eggs. Among household-level determinants, the number of adults per household, land ownership, practice of livestock rearing, number of meals consumed by children, use of latrines and accessibility of the dwelling location perceived as difficult were all associated with higher household dietary diversity. Among individual-level variables, respondent participation in petty commerce and practice of agriculture as main occupation, in addition to increased level of education were positively associated with household dietary diversity. In sum, determinants of diet quality were multidimensional and were associated with various factors including socio-economic status, household demographics, and physical environment. Moreover, diet quality is concurrently linked with household- and individual-level determinants. This highlights the need for multisectoral and multilevel interventions to improve household diet quality in Haiti.