Forced Migrants’ Experiences of Food Insecurity and Health During Transit and First Reception: A Scoping Review

Food insecurity (FI) is a critical global health challenge and an essential component of the right to an adequate standard of living, as recognised in UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). Refugees and forcibly displaced migrants are disproportionately affected by FI due to legal and economic constraints, inconsistent support systems, and the cumulative impacts of poverty, violence, and unstable food environments. These pressures may be even greater among displaced women whose experiences and coping strategies are further compounded by gendered socioeconomic vulnerabilities. Despite these challenges, the intersection between FI and health during transit and first reception remains underexplored. This scoping review explores relationships between FI and health among forced migrants during transit and first reception. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews, 28 studies were analysed. A description of study design, sample, and location is followed by a thematic discussion of the interplay between FI, health outcomes, and coping mechanisms. Findings show forced migrants face significant challenges in the availability, access, utilisation, and stability of food, with coping strategies often exacerbating adverse health outcomes. Notably, there is a lack of research addressing FI and health outcomes as co-constructing phenomena, limited longitudinal studies across migration stages, and unexplored gendered impacts. A novel conceptual framework is proposed to address these gaps and capture the bidirectional and gendered relationships between FI and health. This timely study informs future research and policy aimed at mitigating FI and improving health outcomes among forcibly displaced women and wider migrant populations.