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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 1/2014

Open Access 01-02-2014 | Original Paper

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

Authors: Dia Sanou, Erin O’Reilly, Ismael Ngnie-Teta, Malek Batal, Nathalie Mondain, Caroline Andrew, Bruce K. Newbold, Ivy L. Bourgeault

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

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.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
For the search criteria, the * denotes that this term was used as a root word so that any words containing that segment would be recognized by the search engine. For example, Canad* = Canada, Canadian and Canadians.
 
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Metadata
Title
Acculturation and Nutritional Health of Immigrants in Canada: A Scoping Review
Authors
Dia Sanou
Erin O’Reilly
Ismael Ngnie-Teta
Malek Batal
Nathalie Mondain
Caroline Andrew
Bruce K. Newbold
Ivy L. Bourgeault
Publication date
01-02-2014
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 1/2014
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9823-7

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