Improving nutrition for migrant children in Europe through policy: A scoping review

Nutrition research concerning migrant populations is abundant, with a surplus of prevalence data related to diverse aspects of malnutrition. However, there is a lack of studies on European country interventions. This gap is more pronounced when examining interventions specific to children. The challenges are clear, but the policy impetus for solving them is not. Examining European interventions on nutrition in refugee and asylum-seeking (RAS) children and families allows for an assessment of the unmet needs in the United Kingdom regarding migration, nutrition, child support, and food security.

This scoping review followed the guidelines in the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews, and 20 documents which covered a mixture of policy interventions were eligible. Meaningful comparisons can be made by assessing the interventions made in migrant nutrition from various European countries with varying political approaches to immigration. This creates a fuller picture of the policy landscape for paediatric migrant nutrition, and in due course, policy decisions can be taken.

This scoping review found a lack of diversity in RAS nutrition policies across Europe and a lack of transparency in those in place, likely rooted in the challenging political landscape of increasing RAS populations in Europe. Improving nutrition interventions requires separating food and health from politics. No interventions focusing on the double burden of malnutrition were found. However, policies addressing the double burden in RAS children should be considered as they may be more politically palatable and financially beneficial to implement.