Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
J Am Coll Health. 2024 Nov;72(8):2899-2905. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2138716. Epub 2022 Nov 3.
Western diet is associated with chronic disease risk, and degree of dietary acculturation can impact susceptibility. This study sought to understand the factors associated with changes in food consumption habits among international students at a large public university in the southern US.
A convenience sample of 173 international students representing 41 countries at The University of Georgia participated in the survey.
This cross-sectional online survey assessed dietary habits, perception of healthy eating, and level of acculturation using previously validated measures.
Highest number of participants were from China (19.2%), 89.0% were graduate students with an average age of 27.5 ± 4.83 years. The majority (62.0%) of participants were dietary acculturated with affordability and accessibility determining types of food consumption, as fewer whole foods and more processed foods were consumed in the U.S.
Findings suggest dietary acculturation may be driven by economic factors, making the transition to Westernized food items a convenient and cost-effective choice among international students.
西方饮食与慢性病风险有关，饮食文化适应程度会影响易感性。本研究旨在了解美国南部一所大型公立大学的国际学生饮食习惯变化的相关因素。
佐治亚大学的 173 名国际学生代表 41 个国家参加了这项调查。
这项横断面在线调查使用了先前验证过的测量方法评估了饮食习惯、对健康饮食的看法和文化适应程度。
最多的参与者来自中国（19.2%），89.0%是研究生，平均年龄为 27.5±4.83 岁。大多数（62.0%）参与者的饮食文化适应程度较高，决定食物消费类型的是可负担性和可获得性，因为在美国消费的全食较少，加工食品较多。
研究结果表明，饮食文化适应可能是由经济因素驱动的，对于国际学生来说，向西式食物的转变是一种方便且具有成本效益的选择。
