abstract: 'Objective: In Canada, recent immigrant households experience more food

  insecurity than the general population, but limited information is

  available about the personal, cultural, and social factors that

  contribute to this vulnerability. This study focused on recent Latin

  American (LA) immigrants to explore their perceived barriers in

  acquiring safe, nutritious, and culturally-appropriate food.

  Design: A cross-sectional mixed-method design was applied to collect

  information from a convenience sample of 70 adult Spanish/Portuguese

  speakers who had arrived in Toronto within the last five years.

  Face-to-face interviews were conducted with primary household caregivers

  to obtain responses about barriers to acquiring food for their

  households; data were analyzed using a thematic analysis technique.

  Results: Four main categories of barriers were identified: limited

  financial resources; language difficulty; cultural food preferences; and

  poor knowledge of available community-based food resources and services.

  Inadequate income was the main impediment in accessing adequate food,

  and was related to affordability of food items, accessibility of food

  outlets and transportation cost, and limited time for grocery shopping

  due to work conditions. Language barriers affected participants'' ability

  to obtain well-paid employment and their awareness about and access to

  available community-based food resources. Cultural barriers were related

  to food preferences and limited access to culturally-appropriate foods

  and resources.

  Conclusion: The main barrier to food security among our sample of LA

  newcomers to Toronto is limited financial resources, highlighting the

  need for policies and strategies that could improve their financial

  power to purchase sufficient, nutritious, and culturally-acceptable

  food. Linguistic barriers and limited information among newcomers

  suggest the need to provide linguistically-and culturally-appropriate

  information related to community-based food programs and resources, as

  well as accessible subsidized English language programs, in the

  community and at workplaces. Participatory community-based food programs

  can augment, in a socially acceptable manner, food resources and reduce

  the social stigma attached to food charity. Finally, it is crucial to

  monitor and evaluate existing social and community-based services for

  their accessibility, cultural appropriateness and diversity, and

  effectiveness.'
affiliation: 'Vahabi, M (Corresponding Author), Ryerson Univ, Daphne Cockwell Sch
  Nursing, Fac Community Serv, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.

  Vahabi, Mandana, Ryerson Univ, Daphne Cockwell Sch Nursing, Fac Community Serv,
  Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.

  Vahabi, Mandana, Ryerson Univ, Ctr Studies Food Secur, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.'
article-number: '1'
author: Vahabi, Mandana and Damba, Cynthia
author-email: mvahabi@ryerson.ca
author_list:
- family: Vahabi
  given: Mandana
- family: Damba
  given: Cynthia
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-12-1
eissn: 1475-9276
files: []
journal: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR EQUITY IN HEALTH
keywords: 'Canada-Toronto; Recent Latin American immigrants; Food security;

  Cultural and Linguistic barriers; Community- based food programs'
keywords-plus: INSECURITY; HEALTH; INSUFFICIENCY; SECURITY; RISK
language: English
month: JAN 3
number-of-cited-references: '45'
orcid-numbers: Vahabi, Mandana/0000-0002-7950-7335
papis_id: f8c23c399d2cf62b9e97e4419e6bd34c
ref: Vahabi2013perceivedbarriers
times-cited: '38'
title: Perceived barriers in accessing food among recent Latin American immigrants
  in Toronto
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000313626800001
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '42'
volume: '12'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2013'