Relationship between past food deprivation and current dietary practices and weight status among Cambodian refugee women in Lowell, MA

{{\textless}AbstractText} {Label="OBJECTIVES"} {NlmCategory="OBJECTIVE"{\textgreater}We} investigated Cambodian refugee women's past food experiences and the relationship between those experiences and current food beliefs, dietary practices, and weight {status.{\textless}/AbstractText{\textgreater}} {{\textless}AbstractText} {Label="METHODS"} {NlmCategory="METHODS"{\textgreater}Focus} group participants (n = 11) described past food experiences and current health-related food beliefs and behaviors. We randomly selected survey participants (n = 133) from a comprehensive list of Cambodian households in Lowell, Massachusetts. We collected height, weight, 24-hour dietary recall, food beliefs, past food experience, and demographic information. We constructed a measure of past food deprivation from focus group and survey responses. We analyzed data with multivariate logistic and linear regression {models.{\textless}/AbstractText{\textgreater}} {{\textless}AbstractText} {Label="RESULTS"} {NlmCategory="RESULTS"{\textgreater}Participants} experienced severe past food deprivation and insecurity. Those with higher past food-deprivation scores were more likely to currently report eating meat with fat (odds ratio {[OR]} = 1.14 for every point increase on the 9-to-27-point food-deprivation measure), and to be overweight or obese by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention {(OR} = 1.28) and World Health Organization {(OR} = 1.18) {standards.{\textless}/AbstractText{\textgreater}} {{\textless}AbstractText} {Label="CONCLUSIONS"} {NlmCategory="CONCLUSIONS"{\textgreater}Refugees} who experienced extensive food deprivation or insecurity may be more likely to engage in unhealthful eating practices and to be overweight or obese than are those who experienced less-extreme food deprivation or {insecurity.{\textless}/AbstractText{\textgreater}}