Dissertation
Rice and Peas in the Diaspora: Food, Health and the Body Among Barbadian Migrants
(2013)
Abstract
Diet-related health concerns have become epidemic in the United States; over half of the
adult population is overweight or obese, and rates of chronic diseases are increasing.
Research on diet, nutrition and body weight abounds. However, much of it is
quantitatively based, providing little insight into the reasons, motivations and causes of
food-related behavior, or the related factors of physical activity and perceptions of the
body.
This dissertation addresses these three interrelated issues in a migrant population, with
the guiding question: How do diet, body and activity change when people migrate? This
project links the lived experiences of consumption and body composition with cultural
meanings of food choice and exercise, mediated by rates of physical activity and ideals
about attractiveness and the body. This combination provides a synthesis of meaning and
physicality as well as cultural significance and nutrition. People make choices based on a
variety of input--especially as they relate to food and health. Therefore, in addition to
examining individuals and their particular experiences and belief sets, it is crucial to look
at the entire food, body, and activity equation as people live it. This interrelated whole of
all three offers deeper insight into people's beliefs, self-perceptions and practices. A
dual-sited project, this research compares Barbadian born women living in the Atlanta
area and a counterpart cohort living in Barbados.
This analysis of dietary habits and levels of activity indicates that the significant
difference in health between Barbadians in the US and Barbados is quantity and type of
physical activity. Incidental exercise integrated into regular daily habits in Barbados
increases activity levels to a point that seems to protect health, with less influence from
dietary choices. Barbadian migrant women are adhering to a diet considered healthy by
American dietary guidelines. However, they are less healthy than their counterparts on
the island. This research indicates that physical activity may be a more important factor
in long-term health in this group. More broadly, these findings indicate that nutritional
anthropological research may be missing salient variables in focusing disproportionately
on diet in evaluating nutrition crises.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2013
Degree
Doctoral Dissertation
Field of study
Anthropology
Department
Laney Graduate School
Advisors
Peter J. Brown (chair), Peggy Barlett, David Nugent, Craig Hadley, Leandris Liburd
Comments
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Citation Information
Jennifer Sweeney Tookes. "Rice and Peas in the Diaspora: Food, Health and the Body Among Barbadian Migrants" (2013) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jennifer-tookes/28/