Food acculturation and nutrient intake among international students in India: an exploratory cross-cultural study.

Introduction: Food acculturation and dietary transitions among international students (IS) in Western countries have been reported to result in undesirable changes in eating behaviors and dietary patterns, which may negatively affect nutritional status and health after migration. These dietary changes may be influenced by various factors specific to the host country. Given the recent increase in IS enrollment in culturally diverse Asian countries such as India, there is a need to investigate food acculturation in the Indian context. Therefore, this study explored food acculturation, changes in eating behaviors, the factors influencing these changes, and pre- and post-migration differences in anthropometric measures and nutrient intakes. Methods: In this exploratory study with a retrospective pre-post design, IS ( Results: IS ( Conclusion: Food acculturation patterns observed among IS led to undesirable changes in food and nutrient intake, which may have negative long-term health implications. Planning nutrition interventions that promote the adoption of local, nutritious food is of key importance, while conducting in-depth, qualitative, and longitudinal studies to achieve a better understanding of food acculturation in the Indian context is also needed.