“Eating Gaps” and cross-cultural adaptation among foreign visitors:Implications regarding cross-cultural dietary education for international students in Japan

抄録

We assessed health behaviors and cognitions related to gaps in eating between the home environment and a new environment among international students living in Japan and compared the results with Japanese students. A questionnaire survey on eating awareness was conducted with international (n=209) and Japanese (n=176) students. The results identified factors related to international students before they arrived in Japan, which included (1) Control, defined as moderation in eating, and (2) Fulfillment, defined as self-indulgent eating, and factors after arriving in Japan, (a) Balance Awareness, defined as focusing on nutrient intake and striving to eat a balanced diet, and (b) Principles of Practice, defined as maintaining daily eating habits. Moreover, international students prepared meals and ate alone more frequently. Furthermore, they stated that their diets were less well-balanced after arriving in Japan. They also demonstrated less complicated principles of eating and less awareness of healthy eating practices than Japanese students. Finally, there was no significant relationship between sociocultural adaptation and the frequency of consuming Japanese food. It is concluded that models of cross-cultural dietary education should include both culture-general and culture-specific elements.