Eating in America: Easing the Transition for Resettled Refugees through an Applied Anthropological Intervention

Refugees resettled in the United States are expected to quickly become self-sufficient members of society despite the numerous challenges they face due to adaptation and integration into new systems and ways of life. Issues with dietary and nutritional adaptation persist for resettled refugee communities in the United States and are not prioritized by national, state, or local policy and practice. This research aimed to help mitigate problems with food assistance benefits and healthy eating issues faced by resettled refugees in Hillsborough County through an applied intervention in local English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes. ESOL materials designed to teach refugee students about healthy eating and accessing, maintaining, and using food assistance benefits such as SNAP and WIC were piloted in two classes of intermediate to advanced English ESOL students. The results of this research indicate that ESOL classes can be an effective site for intervention for food assistance, dietary, and nutritional issues affecting refugee communities. Future applications for this research can help shape future programming for other populations and communities to better address similar issues and target students with lower English abilities