Migration has been a public issue since many years, but especially in the last years it is dramatically increasing. Africa has always been a continent with high rate of migration, mainly directed towards Europe, due to the high rate of poverty and violence in their country of origin. Europe has seen large waves of both immigration and emigration within the first decade of the 21st century. The health of migrants is not uniform and varies in relation to country of origin, country of migration and time since migration. Recent studies report that migrants to Europe, although they usually are in relatively good health in the first period after migration, become with time more susceptible to certain communicable diseases, occupational health hazards, injuries, poor mental health and non-communicable diseases. In particular, regarding the latter, previous researches indicated that overweight/obesity and related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and a variety of cancers, were higher among non-Western migrants than among host populations in the Western countries. Although the high rate of overweight and obesity among migrants, poor attention has been paid to the nutritional status of African migrants living in Europe. Body image dissatisfaction and body image distortion are indicated among factors influencing the increased risk of nutritional disorders. The self-perception varies across culture, ethnic background and socio-economic status. In all probability, this perception is influenced by the Westernization of the beauty ideals in developing countries, on one side, and, secondly, by the migration and acculturation processes themselves. The migration and the subsequently acculturation process are highly probably to influence not only the nutritional status and body image perception and preferences but also migrant’s psychological well-being. As mentioned above, migrants are at high risk of developing mental health issues, such as depression, suicide temptation and poor mental health, due to the stress that they undergone prior, after and during migration. All these problems that migrants have to overcome are true not only for adults, but also for children of immigrants. Childhood overweight and obesity have increased in recent decades and children with a migrant background seem to be particularly at risk of developing overweight and obesity, mental health problems and high body dissatisfaction. The present research provides knowledge of weight status and body image in African immigrants to Europe, both in adults and in children, and investigates body composition and weight status, body image and psychosocial well-being in a select sample of North African immigrant women migrated to Italy. The present thesis was organized into two sections collecting four studies: the first section aims to collect and summarize data from literature concerning weight status and body image dissatisfaction and preferences among African adult immigrants in Europe (first study) and among African children migrated to Europe (second study); the second section comprises two original studies conducted on a sample of North African immigrant women in Italy, one focused on nutritional status and body image, and the other one focused on their psychological well-being. In conclusion, this thesis provides comprehensive data on weight status and body composition, as well as body image and psychosocial mental health of African migrants in Europe, analysing in particular the situation of North African immigrant women in Italy. It is therefore a contribution to the field of public health in a particular moment for Italy and Europe characterized by a dramatic increase in migration.

L’immigrazione è un problema di pubblico interesse ormai da molti anni, ma è soprattutto negli ultimi anni che sta aumentando in maniera drammatica. L’Africa è sempre stato un continente caratterizzato da un alto tasso di emigrazione, diretta soprattutto verso l’Europa, dovuto all'alto livello di povertà e violenza che caratterizza questo continente. L’Europa invece è stata caratterizzata nella prima decade del 21th secolo da grandi ondate sia di immigrazione che di emigrazione. Lo stato di salute dei migranti non è uniforme ma varia in relazione al paese di origine, al paese di emigrazione e dal periodo intercorso dall’emigrazione. Studi recenti riportano che i migranti in Europa, nonostante godano generalmente di buona salute nel primo periodo, diventano con il passare del tempo più suscettibile a certe patologie trasmissibili e non, rischi associati all’ambiente di lavoro, traumi e disordini della loro salute mentale. In particolare, riguardo alle patologie non trasmissibili, ricerche precedenti indicano che il sovrappeso e l’obesità, e altre patologie ad esse collegate come patologie cardiovascolari, diabete di tipo II e alcuni tipi di cancro, sono più alte negli immigrati non occidentali piuttosto che nella popolazione residente nei paesi occidentalizzati. Nonostante l’alta percentuale di sovrappeso e obesità tra gli immigrati, poca attenzione è stata data allo studio dello stato nutrizionale dei migranti in Europa provenienti dall’Africa. Tra i fattori che influenzano il rischio di disordini nutrizionali troviamo per certo anche l’insoddisfazione e la falsa percezione della propria immagine corporea. La percezione di sé e gli ideali di bellezza non sono uniformi nelle popolazioni ma variano in base alla cultura, all’origine etnica e allo stato socio-economico del soggetto. Negli ultimi tempi la percezione di sé nei paesi in via di sviluppo è stata sicuramente influenzata dall’occidentalizzazione degli ideali di bellezza da un lato, e dall’altro proprio dai processi di migrazione e acculturazione che i migranti devono affrontare. Questi due processi influenzano con tutta probabilità non solo lo stato nutrizionale e la percezione di sé dei migranti, ma anche la sua salute psicologica. Come già citato precedentemente i migranti sono ad alto rischio di sviluppare disordini mentali, come ad esempio depressione, suicidio o veri e propri problemi psicologici. Questi sono dovuti allo stress a cui sono sottoposti prima, dopo e durante il processo migratorio. Queste problematiche non sono proprie solo degli adulti, ma anche i figli dei migranti devono affrontare diverse difficoltà. La percentuale di sovrappeso e obesità nei bambini è cresciuta negli ultimi decenni e i bambini figli di immigrati sembrano particolarmente a rischio di sovrappeso e obesità, disordini mentali e alta insoddisfazione del proprio corpo. Questa ricerca si pone come obiettivo quello di riportare quello che è conosciuto nella letteratura scientifica circa lo stato ponderale e la percezione dell’immagine corporea nei migranti dall’Africa all’Europa, sia adulti e bambini, e di investigare in particolare la composizione corporea e lo stato ponderale, la percezione di sé e la salute psicosociale in un campione selezionato di donne immigrate in Italia provenienti dal Nord Africa.

Immigrants from Africa tu Europe: an evaluation of nutritional status, body image perception and psychosocial health

RINALDO, Natascia
2017

Abstract

Migration has been a public issue since many years, but especially in the last years it is dramatically increasing. Africa has always been a continent with high rate of migration, mainly directed towards Europe, due to the high rate of poverty and violence in their country of origin. Europe has seen large waves of both immigration and emigration within the first decade of the 21st century. The health of migrants is not uniform and varies in relation to country of origin, country of migration and time since migration. Recent studies report that migrants to Europe, although they usually are in relatively good health in the first period after migration, become with time more susceptible to certain communicable diseases, occupational health hazards, injuries, poor mental health and non-communicable diseases. In particular, regarding the latter, previous researches indicated that overweight/obesity and related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and a variety of cancers, were higher among non-Western migrants than among host populations in the Western countries. Although the high rate of overweight and obesity among migrants, poor attention has been paid to the nutritional status of African migrants living in Europe. Body image dissatisfaction and body image distortion are indicated among factors influencing the increased risk of nutritional disorders. The self-perception varies across culture, ethnic background and socio-economic status. In all probability, this perception is influenced by the Westernization of the beauty ideals in developing countries, on one side, and, secondly, by the migration and acculturation processes themselves. The migration and the subsequently acculturation process are highly probably to influence not only the nutritional status and body image perception and preferences but also migrant’s psychological well-being. As mentioned above, migrants are at high risk of developing mental health issues, such as depression, suicide temptation and poor mental health, due to the stress that they undergone prior, after and during migration. All these problems that migrants have to overcome are true not only for adults, but also for children of immigrants. Childhood overweight and obesity have increased in recent decades and children with a migrant background seem to be particularly at risk of developing overweight and obesity, mental health problems and high body dissatisfaction. The present research provides knowledge of weight status and body image in African immigrants to Europe, both in adults and in children, and investigates body composition and weight status, body image and psychosocial well-being in a select sample of North African immigrant women migrated to Italy. The present thesis was organized into two sections collecting four studies: the first section aims to collect and summarize data from literature concerning weight status and body image dissatisfaction and preferences among African adult immigrants in Europe (first study) and among African children migrated to Europe (second study); the second section comprises two original studies conducted on a sample of North African immigrant women in Italy, one focused on nutritional status and body image, and the other one focused on their psychological well-being. In conclusion, this thesis provides comprehensive data on weight status and body composition, as well as body image and psychosocial mental health of African migrants in Europe, analysing in particular the situation of North African immigrant women in Italy. It is therefore a contribution to the field of public health in a particular moment for Italy and Europe characterized by a dramatic increase in migration.
GUALDI, Emanuela
PINTON, Paolo
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11392/2478805
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