A qualitative study exploring food insecurity amongst asylum seekers’ families in England

Sharma, R.K., Ziauddeen, Nida, Dewar-Haggart, Rachel and Alwan, Nisreen A. (2024) A qualitative study exploring food insecurity amongst asylum seekers’ families in England. The Lancet, 404 (Suppl. 1), S45. (doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02053-1).

Abstract

Background: the cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated an already dire situation of poverty for many families seeking asylum in the UK. Food security is increasingly difficult to secure and integral to maintaining mental and physical health. This study aimed to explore and describe food insecurity amongst asylum-seeking families in Southampton, identify barriers to food security experienced, and how food security could be enabled for these families.

Methods: we aimed to recruit parents or parents-to-be seeking asylum (or recently received refugee status) to interview with the assistance of two local charities that support asylum seekers. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted; four with stakeholders, who worked in the charities, and four with mothers seeking asylum. Issues around food insecurity and factors affecting the diet of these families were explored. The qualitative data were coded, and common themes were iteratively derived using thematic analysis.

Findings: the sample of asylum-seeking mothers included women from India, Central America, East Africa and Eastern Europe. Five key themes were constructed: lack of income, culturally inappropriate services in terms of food aid interventions, inaccessibility, lack of support and poor mental and physical health as a result. Within these themes, sub-themes of vulnerability, need for education, hunger, charity dependant, and isolation were also identified. The most prominent recurrent theme was that families seeking asylum couldn’t support themselves to have adequate nutrition due to the limited funds they received from the government and their restriction from working. This is exacerbated by issuing the limited money in weekly instalments, so families are forced to choose between necessities for their children like nappies and food.

Interpretation: initiatives need to be introduced to tackle food insecurity in asylum seeker families. This could be done by increasing their money allowance to match inflation and giving money monthly rather than weekly instalments to allow families to budget, bulk buy and avoid living ‘hand to mouth’. Greater support and education should be given to families seeking asylum to ensure they can survive on limited means.

Funding: University of Southampton.

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Contributors

Author: Rachel Dewar-Haggart

Author: Nisreen A. Alwan

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