Dietary acculturation and food related issues: A study of African emigrant students
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Date
2016
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Publisher
Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Abstract
To assess the dietary acculturation and food related issues of African emigrant students, a random
selection of 120 African emigrant students was selected from three educational institutes based in
Punjab. To make comparison a sample of 60 respondents from Africa were taken and their dietary
intake was assessed. The cooking habits of African emigrant students in native country and in India
were compared and there was no significant change. It was revealed that there were some significant
changes in cultural dietary habits in comparison to their native country whereby the highest change was
shown in an increased the amount of eating rice, drinking soft drinks, eating eggs, eating fast foods and
drinking tea. Further it was observed that eating of soy products and taking of vitamin supplements
were decreased. The main reason for change in dietary habit was due to the taste of the food as they
were not familiar with local foods and they found Indian food to be really spicy. It was seen that female
respondents skipped breakfast more frequently than males and the differences were significant at 5%.
The mean daily intake of legumes, green leafy vegetables, roots and tubers, other vegetables, fruits, fats
and oils, sugars, animal foods and nuts and oil seeds were found to be low among African emigrants
when compared to Africans in their native country and the differences were significant at 1%. It was
also revealed that the mean daily intake of nutrients such as energy, protein, carbohydrates, fat,
calcium, beta-carotene and iron were found to be low among African emigrants when compared to
Africans in their native country and the difference was significant at 1%. Percent adequacy of food
groups (fats and oils and animal foods) was higher when compared with the RDI for male and female
African emigrants. The data revealed that percent adequacy of food groups (cereals, pulses and
legumes, green leafy vegetables, roots and tubers, other vegetables, fruits , milk and milk products,
sugars and nuts and oil seeds) were lower when compared with the RDI for male and female African
emigrants. Furthermore, percent adequacy of nutrient intake (protein, fats and calcium) were higher
when compared with the RDA for male and female African emigrants and percent adequacy of
nutrients such as energy, carbohydrates, Beta-carotene and iron were lower when compared with the
RDA for male and female African emigrants. Major problems related to accessing food in India by
African emigrant students were lack of familiarity to local foods and lack of proximity to the eateries.
The major food related issues faced by African emigrant students were affordability, suitability and hygiene, awareness about local foods, eating out and high food cost.
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Keywords
Dietary acculturation, African emigrants, Food related issues, Dietary habits, Food and Nutrients intake