Food Experiences and Dietary Patterns of International Students at a Canadian University

Abstract

Purpose: Postsecondary students who move to a new country to continue their education experience a drastic shift in food landscape, often resulting in unhealthy dietary adaptations. Methods: This mixed-method study explored the eating experiences and dietary patterns of 30 international students attending a Canadian university. Data were collected through focus groups that were analyzed thematically and dietary records analyzed for compliance with Canada’s Food Guide for Healthy Living (2007). Results: Results showed that many participants want to maintain home country food traditions, yet their new independent living status and novel food environments led to changes in dietary habits. Limited food skills, busy schedules, reduced access to familiar foods, and fast-food environments contributed to unhealthy eating patterns. These perceptions were reflected in the high consumption of “other”, less nutritious foods and low servings of fruits and vegetables, milk products and alternatives, and grain products. Conclusions: These findings show that international university students face dual challenges of transitioning into independent living without sufficient food skills and family supports, and exposure to unfamiliar and unhealthy food environments. Resources need to be developed for newly enrolled international students that emphasize food awareness, food skills, and healthy eating habits.

Differences in Overweight or Obesity, Changes in Dietary Habits after Studying Abroad and Sleep Quality by Acculturative Degree among Asian Foreign Students: A Cross Sectional Pilot Study

“…Differences in overweight or obesity according to acculturative degree were not observed in this study. These results are inconsistent with previous studies suggesting an increased body mass index with more acculturation [25,26]. However, a combined effect of sleep quality on an individual's acculturative degree was observed with respect to the risk of being overweight or obese.…”

“…Evidence from previous studies indicate that among immigrants as well as foreign students, there is an association between acculturative degree and the influence on health behaviors [3,6,24]. Of the various health behaviors of foreign students, dietary habits, in particular, may be greatly affected by acculturative degree [5,6,25], which is in agreement with this study. In this study, subjects with a high acculturative degree showed a more positive influence of changes in dietary habits after studying abroad than those with a low acculturative degree.…”

“…In this study, subjects with a high acculturative degree showed a more positive influence of changes in dietary habits after studying abroad than those with a low acculturative degree. However, other studies conducted in Europe and North America have suggested that people who are well acculturated tend to have a negative effect of dietary habits [6,25,26]. Negative changes in dietary habits are high in fat, leads to the consumption of fewer fresh fruits and vegetables and a high frequency of consumption of fast food or processed snack foods, which explains Western dietary acculturation from an individual's host country.…”

“…Conversely, such findings were not observed among the group with a high acculturative degree regardless of their sleep quality. Although it is difficult to ascertain the direction of the causal association between the risk for being overweight or obese, sleep quality and acculturative degree, these findings could be explained by a number of other studies [2][3][4][5][6]25,26]. A poor acculturative degree is associated with increased psychological distress or lower sleep quality, which is caused by psychological problems.…”

To the Problem of Nutrition of Foreign Students During the Period of Adaptation to the Sharly Continental Climate of Volgograd

“…С этой целью при помощи анкетирования был сделан анализ содержания в пищевом рационе иностранных студентов овощей и фруктов (табл. 5,6).…”