Food Security Among Syrian Refugee Families in Quebec, Canada

ABSTRACT

This study aims to understand how socioeconomic, geographic and cultural factors affect the food security status of Syrian refugee households in Quebec, Canada. Using a mixed methods study design, 49 households were assessed for their food security and socioeconomic status, followed by structured interviews with 35 households and 9 service providers. 52% of refugee households were food insecure, and although not significantly different, food insecurity was higher among privately sponsored refugee households in the Montreal area. Food insecurity appears mainly due to food access issues. Syrian refugees possess agricultural and cooking skills that could be beneficial in promoting community food security.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural Factors
• Food insecurity
• Geographic factors
• Socioeconomic factors
• Syrian refugees

Acknowledgments

Funded by The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

MB is supported by the Canada Research Chair Program. We are thankful to the Syrian refugee families and settlement agencies for supporting the project and sharing their experiences with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Availability of data

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, HV. The data are not publicly available due to compromising the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [418789].