Table 4.
Results of meta-synthesis of qualitative research findings
| Findings | Categories | Synthesised findings |
|---|---|---|
| Familiarity | Socio-cultural factors | Social, cultural and religious factors |
| Cultural and racial well-being | ||
| Positive behaviours | ||
| Cultural identity | ||
| Culture | ||
| Loss of culture | ||
| Reinforcing factor influencing being a South Indian | ||
| Native” social and cultural understandings and influences of food-related behaviour from India | ||
| Identity | ||
| Community values and cultural identity | ||
| Black ways of eating | ||
| Social network | ||
| Religious beliefs | Religious beliefs | |
| Family, community, and religious ties to traditional African foods | ||
| Food, caring and happiness | Food for hospitality | |
| Social pressure | ||
| Tradition of hospitality | ||
| Hospitality and migrant context | ||
| Enjoyable experiences | Psychological Factor | |
| Filling | ||
| Hunger and feeling full | ||
| Convenience | Convenience | Availability and accessibility |
| Shortcuts | ||
| Busy lives | ||
| Busy and complex lifestyles | ||
| Convenience of Australian food | ||
| Time | Time scarcity | |
| Cost |
Cost Food preparation |
|
| Cost and availability | ||
| Socio-economic status | ||
| Affordability | ||
| Finances | ||
| Poor access to home country foods | ||
| Easy access to Canadian foods and prestigious foods | ||
| Food insecurity and reliance on food banks | ||
| Accessibility and availability | ||
| Enabling factors in food choices and meal consumption patterns | ||
| Availability | ||
| Predisposing factors influencing being a South Indian | ||
| Quality/freshness | ||
| Restaurants | ||
| Americanised eating habits | ||
| Easy access to junk food | ||
| Availability of traditional foods | ||
| Access to traditional foods | ||
| Varied eating patterns according to the availability and resources | ||
| Food preparation | ||
| Time for cooking traditional foods | ||
| Family and community well-being | Family and community influence | Family and community influence |
| Extended family | ||
| Children role | ||
| Neighbourhood | ||
| Living alone | ||
| Living in households with a large group of people | ||
| Nurturers; family, friends, and community | ||
| Role of family | ||
| Preservation of original food culture | ||
| Attitudes and openness | ||
| Preference for the traditional African Caribbean | ||
| Taste and cravings | ||
| Canadian versus Indian foods | ||
|
Traditional African cuisine is healthy and American foods as non- healthy Perception of the host country/traditional | ||
| Differences between host foods and original food | ||
| Perception of host country’s food | Lack of portion control | |
| Born and lived a long time in India before migration | ||
| Cultural foods and traditions | ||
| Born and lived in the United States | ||
| Predisposing factors in food choices and meal consumption patterns | Dietary acculturation | Dietary acculturation |
| Changes in staple foods | ||
| Migration and lifestyle changes | ||
| Predisposing factors for adjusting to a Life in State College | ||
| Sweets and deep-fried snacks | ||
| Dietary practices following migration | ||
| Reinforcing factor to adjusting to life in a State College | ||
| Migration context | ||
| Changes in meal pattern | ||
| Dietary acculturation | ||
| Loss of family commensality and identity, and purpose | ||
| Change of preference over time | ||
| Contrast between elders’ reliance on traditional Indian foods and young people’s desire for ‘western’ food | Dietary variations | |
| Generational conflict | Generational variations and Dietary behaviours | |
| Bread spread | ||
| Attitudes of family members | ||
| Children’s preferences | ||
| Acculturation: differences between generations in food preferences | ||
| Second generation | ||
| Dietary Fragmentation | ||
| Nutritional quality | Health and healthy eating | Health and healthy eating |
| Healthy eating discourses | ||
| Physical well-being | ||
| Physical health | ||
| Health | ||
| Complementary foods (fish) | ||
| Egg | ||
| Aspects | ||
| Intersection of “native” beliefs and American society and structures | ||
| Reconciling conflicting interpretations about health risk | ||
| Perception of healthy eating | ||
| Healthy eating-meanings | ||
| Healthy eating-motivations | ||
| Family eating-habits | ||
| Health and nutrition | ||
| Food beliefs and perceived health consequences parents’ views | ||
| Vegetables and legumes | ||
| Complementary foods (Meat) | ||
| Type of fats chosen | ||
| Distrust in health professionals, nutrition and health promotion messages | Nutrition knowledge | Perception of nutritional information |
| Mistrust of providers | ||
| Dominant biomedical dietary health meanings | ||
| Recommendation of culturally inappropriate dietary advice | Culturally sensitive nutritional information | |
| Perception | ||
| Culturally relevant and specific to African Americans | ||
| Nutrition information | ||
| People could eat healthfully if they knew what to buy | ||
| Cooking skills | ||
| Possible intervention | ||
| Factors affecting dietary choices | ||
| Exposure to host culture through the media and books | ||
| Family counselling | ||
| Community education | ||
| Food purchasing |