Forced migrants' experiences of food insecurity and health during transit and first reception: a scoping review
Forced migrants' experiences of food insecurity and health during transit and first reception: a scoping review
Food insecurity (FI) is a critical global health challenge and an essential component of the right to an adequate standard of living, as recognised in UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). Refugees and forcibly displaced migrants are disproportionately affected by FI due to legal and economic constraints, inconsistent support systems, and the cumulative impacts of poverty, violence, and unstable food environments. These pressures may be even greater among displaced women whose experiences and coping strategies are further compounded by gendered socioeconomic vulnerabilities. Despite these challenges, the intersection between FI and health during transit and first reception remains underexplored. This scoping review explores relationships between FI and health among forced migrants during transit and first reception. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews, 28 studies were analysed. A description of study design, sample, and location is followed by a thematic discussion of the interplay between FI, health outcomes, and coping mechanisms. Findings show forced migrants face significant challenges in the availability, access, utilisation, and stability of food, with coping strategies often exacerbating adverse health outcomes. Notably, there is a lack of research addressing FI and health outcomes as co-constructing phenomena, limited longitudinal studies across migration stages, and unexplored gendered impacts. A novel conceptual framework is proposed to address these gaps and capture the bidirectional and gendered relationships between FI and health. This timely study informs future research and policy aimed at mitigating FI and improving health outcomes among forcibly displaced women and wider migrant populations.
First reception, Food insecurity, Forced displacement, Gender, Health, Transit
Cannings, Laurence
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Hall, Hannah
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Riggirozzi, Pia
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Cannings, Laurence
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Hall, Hannah
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Riggirozzi, Pia
ed3be4f8-37e7-46a2-8242-f6495d727c22
Cannings, Laurence, Hall, Hannah and Riggirozzi, Pia
(2026)
Forced migrants' experiences of food insecurity and health during transit and first reception: a scoping review.
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.
(doi:10.1007/s10903-026-01873-4).
Abstract
Food insecurity (FI) is a critical global health challenge and an essential component of the right to an adequate standard of living, as recognised in UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). Refugees and forcibly displaced migrants are disproportionately affected by FI due to legal and economic constraints, inconsistent support systems, and the cumulative impacts of poverty, violence, and unstable food environments. These pressures may be even greater among displaced women whose experiences and coping strategies are further compounded by gendered socioeconomic vulnerabilities. Despite these challenges, the intersection between FI and health during transit and first reception remains underexplored. This scoping review explores relationships between FI and health among forced migrants during transit and first reception. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews, 28 studies were analysed. A description of study design, sample, and location is followed by a thematic discussion of the interplay between FI, health outcomes, and coping mechanisms. Findings show forced migrants face significant challenges in the availability, access, utilisation, and stability of food, with coping strategies often exacerbating adverse health outcomes. Notably, there is a lack of research addressing FI and health outcomes as co-constructing phenomena, limited longitudinal studies across migration stages, and unexplored gendered impacts. A novel conceptual framework is proposed to address these gaps and capture the bidirectional and gendered relationships between FI and health. This timely study informs future research and policy aimed at mitigating FI and improving health outcomes among forcibly displaced women and wider migrant populations.
Text
s10903-026-01873-4
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Accepted/In Press date: 5 February 2026
e-pub ahead of print date: 24 March 2026
Keywords:
First reception, Food insecurity, Forced displacement, Gender, Health, Transit
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 511175
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/511175
ISSN: 1557-1912
PURE UUID: 50117339-d5ee-4a04-9007-26b73626833d
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Date deposited: 05 May 2026 17:26
Last modified: 09 May 2026 01:47
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Author:
Laurence Cannings
Author:
Hannah Hall
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