College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
Ethn Health. 2022 Aug;27(6):1329-1344. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2021.1879027. Epub 2021 Feb 10.
Black immigrant women experience high risks for maternal complications, and some of these complications are related to dietary outcomes. This study aimed to explore Sub-Saharan African (SSA) pregnant women's dietary patterns and dietary transition post-immigration and during pregnancy.
We used a narrative design with a Photovoice approach and collected data through semi-structured interviews, digital food diaries, and Photovoice interviews. We recruited eleven participants (= 11) through community gatekeepers and analyzed data using a constructivist grounded theory approach with constant comparative methods.
The changes in food processes and participants' reactions to these changes generated a dietary transition model with three stages: perplexity, deliberation, and acceptance. (1) Perplexity was caused by different food characteristics such as taste, texture, and options. (2) Participants described deliberation as a process of deciding the kind of foods/cooking styles that would be an integral part of their regular diet. All participants opted for what they referred to as the 'African diet.' (3) Acceptance was characterized by participants' resolve to figure out how to make their chosen types of food and eating habits 'work' for themselves and their families.
This study emphasizes the importance of having a sense of self-efficacy, a positive attitude, and community support in enabling migrant women to navigate dietary transition until they are satisfied with newly constructed eating habits. This determination, along with community support and persistent connection to their home culture, might help immigrants resist dietary acculturation and maintain healthy cultural eating habits, which is particularly important during pregnancy, given the impact of diet on maternal and neonatal outcomes. These findings underscore the need for collaborating with migrants from SSA to develop culturally tailored dietary interventions focused on each stage of dietary transition. Future studies should include focus group discussions to leverage women's shared experiences and create knowledge/information exchange opportunities.
黑移民女性在产妇并发症方面风险较高，其中一些并发症与饮食结果有关。本研究旨在探讨撒哈拉以南非洲（SSA）孕妇在移民后和怀孕期间的饮食模式和饮食转变。
我们采用叙述性设计和照片访谈法，通过半结构式访谈、数字食物日记和照片访谈收集数据。我们通过社区联络人招募了 11 名参与者（= 11），并使用建构主义扎根理论方法和恒定性比较方法分析数据。
食物加工方式的变化以及参与者对这些变化的反应产生了一个饮食转变模型，该模型分为三个阶段：困惑、思考和接受。（1）困惑是由不同的食物特征引起的，例如味道、质地和选择。（2）参与者将思考描述为一个决定哪些食物/烹饪风格将成为他们日常饮食的一部分的过程。所有参与者都选择了他们所谓的“非洲饮食”。（3）接受的特点是参与者决心找出如何使他们选择的食物类型和饮食习惯“为自己和家人服务”。
本研究强调了自我效能感、积极态度和社区支持的重要性，这些因素可以使移民女性在饮食转变过程中感到满意，直到他们建立起新的饮食习惯。这种决心，以及社区支持和与家乡文化的持续联系，可能有助于移民抵抗饮食文化适应，并保持健康的文化饮食习惯，这在怀孕期间尤为重要，因为饮食对母婴结局有影响。这些发现强调了与来自 SSA 的移民合作制定针对饮食转变每个阶段的文化适宜性饮食干预措施的必要性。未来的研究应包括焦点小组讨论，以利用女性的共同经验并创造知识/信息交流机会。
