Food adaptation and nutrient intake of female immigrants into Korea through marriage

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate Korean food adaption, eating behavior and dietary intakes of married female immigrants by age, number of residence years in Korea and level of income. The survey included 67 female marriage immigrants attending the Korean language class at the multicultural family support center within the northern part of Kyonggi province from October 2010 to July 2011. General characteristics, Korean dietary life adaptation, and eating behavior were collected and dietary intakes were assessed using 24-hour recall. The home countries with regards to all subjects were Vietnam (40.3%), China (23.9%), Japan (11.9%), Philippines (7.0%), and Mongolia (3.0%). Total energy intake was 1432.5kcal and there were significant differences in nutritional intake concerning vitamin B1 and vitamin B2 by age (p < 0.05). More than 50% of subjects did not meet estimated average requirements for calcium (56.7%), zinc (52.2%), vitamin C (55.2%), and folic acid (76.1%). Food adaptation scores were significantly correlated with general characteristics (age, residence year, drinking alcohol and acquisition of nationality), total scores of eating behavior, and nutritional intake (energy, protein, fat, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, niacin, vitamin E, and zinc). These results might suggest that the better their Korean food adaptation, the more desirable their eating behavior and nutritional status.