Korean J Community Nutr.  2020 Aug;25(4):291-302. 10.5720/kjcn.2020.25.4.291.

Dietary Life of Chinese International Students according to the Frequency of University Foodservice Use in Korea

• Cui Y
• Yoo HJ
• Choi I
• Yoon J

• KMID: 2506193
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2020.25.4.291

Abstract

Objective
This study investigated the current use of university foodservice among Chinese international students in Korea, focusing on the relationship between the frequency of university foodservice use and their dietary life.
Methods
An online survey was conducted on 452 Chinese international students from February 6 to 12, 2020. The respondents were classified into “the Low-frequency group” (< one time/week; n=144), “the Mid-frequency group” (one-two times/week; n=133), and “the High-frequency group” (≥three times/week; n=175) according to their frequency of using university foodservice. The dietary life was compared among the three groups. Binominal logistic regression models were constructed to determine the associations between the frequency of university foodservice use and the changes in dietary life.
Results
More than 2/3 (68.1%) of the respondents used the university foodservice at least once per week. Chinese international students who were males and Han Chinese people, lived on campus, had stayed longer in Korea, and had no cooking facilities tended to use the university foodservice more often. The level of satisfaction with the university foodservice was not high (3.52 out of 5-points). Only 20% ate meals three times per day, and only 22% ate breakfast almost every day. The frequencies of overeating and skipping meals increased after studying in Korea. The frequency of university foodservice use, along with the length of residence in Korea, was associated with these negative changes in dietary life. Overeating (OR=2.11) and skipping meals (OR=1.79) were more likely to increase after studying in Korea in the Mid-frequency group than in the High-frequency group.
Conclusions
The frequency of university foodservice use was associated with the dietary life of Chinese international students in Korea. A high frequency (i.e. ≥three times/week) of using university foodservice may positively affect the dietary life of Chinese international students in Korea.

Keyword

Chinese students; college and university foodservice; online survey; logistic regression; food lifestyle