UAlbany Researchers Conduct Unique Study on Dietary Behavior of Local Refugees

ALBANY, N.Y. (March 8, 2023) – A recent study from the School of Public Health shows that the availability of Asian ethnic food stores within walking distance promotes fruit and vegetable consumption for Burmese refugees in upstate New York. It is one of the few quantitative studies on the dietary behavior of Burmese refugees in the United States.

“Fruits and vegetable consumption can help support healthy immune function and protect against adverse health issues such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes,” explains Akiko Hosler, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the corresponding author of the study. “Here in the Capital Region, we have a growing Burmese refugee population, and better understanding their fruit and vegetable consumption—and barriers for consumption— can help to target interventions locally to improve our community’s health.”

While supermarkets have been the primary focus of food environment research in the United States, not everyone has access to them based on where they live. Supermarkets often flee from the low-income neighborhoods where refugees tend to settle, leaving them in areas classed as “food deserts”—areas that do not have nutritious food readily available for residents.

“In areas where supermarkets are not available, or may be too difficult to walk to, other types of stores play a major role in dietary choices, including convenience stores and ethnic stores,” says Hosler. “Ethnic stores in particular play a critical role in meeting dietary recommendations as they tend to be stock healthier options than convenience stores and do not sell alcohol and tobacco.”

In addition, ethnic stores tend to thrive in neighborhoods where supermarkets leave due to the low rent cost for buildings and the lower wages they are required to pay workers.

For this study, the research team interviewed 173 Burmese refugees in Albany County and Rensselaer County. They assessed the participants’ fruit and vegetable consumption, food shopping behavior, perceived neighborhood food environment, and nutritional knowledge to better understand the population’s dietary behavior and barriers.

The researchers found that while 45 percent of participants met fruit and vegetable serving recommendations, a majority (82 percent) perceived their neighborhood food environment to be unfavorable.

On average, supermarkets were 4.2 miles away from respondents’ homes, while ethnic stores were only 2.7 miles from their residences. Every participant identified at least one ethnic store that they used to shop for fruits and vegetables, and almost all (99 percent) identified an ethnic store as their preferred food store. Almost one third (31 percent) lived less than a mile from their preferred food stores—or approximately less than 15 minutes of walking distance.

Participants also shared that Asian ethnic stores were the only places where they could find a variety of tropical fruits, fresh greens, herbs, and spices needed for the dishes that they typically cook in their homes.

Almost all participants reported that an ethnic store was their preferred place to purchase fruits and vegetables. Some participants would walk more than 30 minutes to get to an ethnic store, even though supermarkets were located closer to them.

“This shows that the relationship between shop choice and distance isn’t always straightforward, and factors such as product availability, culture, and sense of community may impact a refugee’s decision to visit a particular store,” Hosler says. “However, overall our findings show that having ethnic food stores within a walkable distance from home can promote healthy dietary behavior for Burmese refugees in our community.”

The full report can be found in Public Health and Nutrition.