IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ssefpa/v12y2020i3d10.1007_s12571-019-01001-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Food insecurity and social determinants of health among immigrants and natives in Portugal

Author

Listed:
  • Violeta Alarcão

    (Universidade de Lisboa
    Universidade de Lisboa
    Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL))

  • Sofia Guiomar

    (Universidade de Lisboa
    National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA))

  • Andreia Oliveira

    (University of Porto
    University of Porto)

  • Milton Severo

    (University of Porto
    University of Porto)

  • Daniela Correia

    (University of Porto)

  • Duarte Torres

    (University of Porto
    University of Porto)

  • Carla Lopes

    (University of Porto
    University of Porto)

Abstract

Literature is scarce on food insecurity in the context of different illnesses and intersecting social hierarchies of gender and ethnicity. This study aims to describe and compare the prevalence of food insecurity between immigrants and natives in Portugal and explore social determinants of poor health outcomes associated with food insecurity. Data were derived from the National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2015–2016, which is a national and regionally representative survey of the Portuguese general population which collected nationwide data on dietary habits (including food insecurity measured by the Radimer/Cornell food security questionnaire) and physical activity, among other dimensions. Demographic, socioeconomic and health factors that could help explain ethnic disparities in food insecurity were explored through complex survey data analysis. The prevalence of food insecurity was 10.7% (95% CI: 6.5–15.0) among immigrants and 10.1% (95% CI: 8.3–11.9) among natives; no significant differences were found. Low family income and low level of education were the main factors associated with food insecurity in Portugal, in both native and immigrant groups. Self-reported diseases and poor self-rated health were also associated with food insecurity. Only among natives, women, older and unmarried subjects had higher food insecurity. Therefore, inter-sectoral policies addressing the social determinants of food insecurity are needed to reduce social inequalities and particular attention should be given for Portuguese women, elderly and unmarried people which are the most vulnerable groups. Promoting equality in household food and nutrition security in Portugal including among immigrant’s populations is a public health priority.

Suggested Citation

  • Violeta Alarcão & Sofia Guiomar & Andreia Oliveira & Milton Severo & Daniela Correia & Duarte Torres & Carla Lopes, 2020. "Food insecurity and social determinants of health among immigrants and natives in Portugal," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(3), pages 579-589, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:12:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s12571-019-01001-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-019-01001-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12571-019-01001-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12571-019-01001-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Whittle, Henry J. & Palar, Kartika & Hufstedler, Lee Lemus & Seligman, Hilary K. & Frongillo, Edward A. & Weiser, Sheri D., 2015. "Food insecurity, chronic illness, and gentrification in the San Francisco Bay Area: An example of structural violence in United States public policy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 154-161.
    2. Ana McCormick Myers & Matthew A. Painter, 2017. "Food insecurity in the United States of America: an examination of race/ethnicity and nativity," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(6), pages 1419-1432, December.
    3. Rechel, Bernd & Mladovsky, Philipa & Devillé, Walter, 2012. "Monitoring migrant health in Europe: A narrative review of data collection practices," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(1), pages 10-16.
    4. Heflin, Colleen M. & Siefert, Kristine & Williams, David R., 2005. "Food insufficiency and women's mental health: Findings from a 3-year panel of welfare recipients," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(9), pages 1971-1982, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Masood A. Badri & Guang Yang & Mugheer Al Khaili & Muna Al Bahar & Asma Al Rashdi & Layla Al Hyas, 2021. "Hierarchical Regression of Wellbeing and Self-Rated Health among Older Adults in Abu Dhabi," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-12, July.
    2. Spyros Kolovos & Gerardo A Zavala & Anne Sophie Leijen & Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez & Maurits Tulder, 2020. "Household food insecurity is associated with depressive symptoms: results from a Mexican population-based survey," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(2), pages 407-416, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alexandria J. Drake & Lora A. Phillips & Brajesh Karna & Shakthi Bharathi Murugesan & Lily K. Villa & Nathan A. Smith, 2023. "Food insecurity and disasters: predicting disparities in total and first-time food pantry visits during the COVID-19 pandemic," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(2), pages 493-504, April.
    2. Eamon, Mary Keegan & Wu, Chi-Fang, 2011. "Effects of unemployment and underemployment on material hardship in single-mother families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 233-241, February.
    3. Leonardo Mammana & Chiara Milani & Paola Bordin & Lorenzo Paglione & Chiara Salvia, 2020. "Health System Response during the European Refugee Crisis: Policy and Practice Analysis in Four Italian Regions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-22, July.
    4. repec:pri:crcwel:wp06-04-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Alexandra Mendoza-Graf & Rebecca L Collins & Madhumita Ghosh Dastidar & Robin Beckman & Gerald P Hunter & Wendy M Troxel & Tamara Dubowitz, 2023. "Changes in psychosocial wellbeing over a five-year period in two predominantly Black Pittsburgh neighbourhoods: A comparison between gentrifying and non-gentrifying census tracts," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(6), pages 1139-1157, May.
    6. Silvia Loi & Joonas Pitkänen & Heta Moustgaard & Mikko Myrskylä & Pekka Martikainen, 2019. "Health of immigrant children: the role of immigrant generation, exogamous family setting, and family material and social resources," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2019-009, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    7. Naureen Fatema & Shahriar Kibriya, 2018. "Givers of great dinners know few enemies: The impact of household food sufficiency and food sharing on low intensity interhousehold and community conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo," HiCN Working Papers 267, Households in Conflict Network.
    8. Jean Knab & Sara McLanahan & Irv Garfinkel, 2006. "The Effects of Welfare and Child Support Policies on Maternal Health and Wellbeing," Working Papers 931, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    9. Kevin M. Fitzpatrick & Don E. Willis, 2021. "Homeless and hungry: food insecurity in the land of plenty," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 3-12, February.
    10. Scott, Penelope & Odukoya, Dennis & von Unger, Hella, 2014. "The classification of "migrants" as a discursive practice in public health: A sociology of knowledge approach," Discussion Papers, Research Group Science Policy Studies SP III 2014-601, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    11. Alisa C. Lewin & Michal Shamai & Sharon Novikov, 2023. "Surviving in Crisis Mode: The Effect of Material Hardship and Social Support on Emotional Wellbeing Among People in Poverty During COVID-19," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 245-265, January.
    12. King, Christian, 2017. "Informal assistance to urban families and the risk of household food insecurity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 105-113.
    13. Christian King, 2018. "Food insecurity and housing instability in vulnerable families," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 255-273, June.
    14. Silvia Loi & Daniela Vono de Vilhena, 2020. "Exclusion through statistical invisibility. An exploration on what can be known through publicly available datasets on irregular migration and the health status of this population in Germany," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2020-009, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    15. Noonan, Kelly & Corman, Hope & Reichman, Nancy E., 2016. "Effects of maternal depression on family food insecurity," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 201-215.
    16. Nrupen A Bhavsar & Manish Kumar & Laura Richman, 2020. "Defining gentrification for epidemiologic research: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(5), pages 1-24, May.
    17. Alloush, Mo & Bloem, Jeffrey R., 2022. "The psychological toll of food insecurity," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 618-630.
    18. Rafaela M. Ribeiro & Luzia Gonçalves & Philip J. Havik & Isabel Craveiro, 2022. "Tuberculosis and Migrant Pathways in an Urban Setting: A Mixed-Method Case Study on a Treatment Centre in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-21, March.
    19. Nanama, Siméon & Frongillo, Edward A., 2012. "Altered social cohesion and adverse psychological experiences with chronic food insecurity in the non-market economy and complex households of Burkina Faso," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 444-451.
    20. Robert Gillanders, 2016. "Corruption and anxiety in Sub-Saharan Africa," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 47-69, February.
    21. Hadley, Craig & Linzer, Drew A. & Belachew, Tefera & Mariam, Abebe Gebre & Tessema, Fasil & Lindstrom, David, 2011. "Household capacities, vulnerabilities and food insecurity: Shifts in food insecurity in urban and rural Ethiopia during the 2008 food crisis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(10), pages 1534-1542.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:12:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s12571-019-01001-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.