title: Food insecurity: its relationship to dietary intake and body weight among Somali refugee women in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between food insecurity, dietary intake, and body mass index among Somali refugee women living in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study utilizing the snowball sampling method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most (67%) participants experienced some level of food insecurity, which was common among recent arrivals and those who spoke only Somali at home (P < .05). Intake of meat and eggs was higher, whereas intake of fruits and vegetables was lower, among food insecure than secure participants. Food insecurity was positively related to overweight and obesity (odds ratio: 2.66; confidence interval: 1.25-5.69; P < .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Somali refugees experienced high levels of food insecurity upon resettlement. Poor dietary habits and the high overweight/obesity rate among insecure families call for future research in understanding what role family structure, cultural norms, and food preference play in predicting food security and dietary habits among Somali and overall African refugees in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, School of Health and Human Sciences, The University of North Carolina-Greensboro, NC 27412, USA. jmdharod@uncg.edu
authors.forename: Jigna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dharod
authors.forename: Jamar E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Croom
authors.forename: Christine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Sady
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004531:Eggs; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D012998:Somalia / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables