Nutr Res Pract.  2015 Jun;9(3):304-312. 10.4162/nrp.2015.9.3.304.

Acculturation and changes in dietary behavior and anthropometric measures among Chinese international students in South Korea

• Lee J
• Gao RR
• Kim JH

• KMID: 2313844
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2015.9.3.304

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES
International students face dissimilar food environments, which could lead to changes in dietary behaviors and anthropometric characteristics between before and after migration. We sought to examine the risk factors, including dietary behaviors, acculturation, and demographic characteristics, related to overweight subjects residing in South Korea.
SUBJECTS/METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study, collecting data from 142 Chinese international students (63 males, 79 females) in 2013.
RESULTS
The mean age of the subjects was 25.4 years, and almost half of them immigrated to South Korea to earn a master's degree or doctoral degree (n = 70, 49.3%). Chinese international students showed an increase in skipping meals and eating speed, but a decrease in the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption in South Korea compared to when they lived in China. We found a statistically significant increase in weight (69.4 --> 73.9 kg) and BMI (22.4 --> 23.8 kg/m2) for male subjects (P < 0.001) but no change for female subjects. We also found that overweight subjects were more likely to be highly acculturated and male compared with normal-weight subjects.
CONCLUSION
Among Chinese international students living in South Korea, male and more highly acculturated subjects are more vulnerable to weight gain. This study provides useful information to design tailored nutrition intervention programs for Chinese international students.

Keyword

Chinese; international students; acculturation; diet; migration

MeSH Terms

Acculturation*
Asian Continental Ancestry Group*
China
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diet
Eating
Female
Fruit
Humans
Korea
Male
Meals
Overweight
Risk Factors
Vegetables
Weight Gain

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Proportion of eating out frequency by participation in meeting with Koreans

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