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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health

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01-02-2017 | Original Paper

Food Insecurity and Food Resource Utilization in an Urban Immigrant Community

Authors: Howard P. Greenwald, Vanessa Zajfen

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 1/2017

Abstract

Risk and prevalence of food insecurity and use of food security resources are important but incompletely understood factors in immigrant health. Key informant interviews and a survey (N = 809) of housing units were conducted in a San Diego, California neighborhood with a high proportion of immigrant and low income families. The difference in food insecurity between immigrant and non-immigrant households was non-significant (20.1 vs. 15.7 %, p = n.s.), though immigrant families were more likely to use food security resources such as SNAP (32.7 vs. 22.9 %, p < .01) and food pantries (28.2 vs. 19.7 %, p < .001). Among immigrants, neither national origin nor years in the United States predicted food insecurity or use of most food security resources. In immigrant families, food insecurity often remains a challenge long after immigration, suggesting a potentially increasing need for food security resources as immigration into the United States continues.

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Title: Food Insecurity and Food Resource Utilization in an Urban Immigrant Community
Authors: Howard P. Greenwald
Vanessa Zajfen
Publication date: 01-02-2017
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 1/2017
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0331-9

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