Diet Acculturation among Bhutanese Refugee Adolescents in the United States

• In Event: 462 - Section on Children and Youth Paper Session. Immigrant Children and Children of Immigration: New Perspectives on Children's Experiences in a Changing Policy Environment

Abstract

Acculturation among refugees and other immigrants often involves dietary changes that may be detrimental to health. Adolescence marks a pivotal point in physical and identity development, so dietary changes at these ages have long-term implications for health. We examined dietary acculturation among Bhutanese refugee adolescents in the U.S. and the role of best friends therein.
We developed and tested a questionnaire to measure food preferences and consumption among refugee youths and their best friend. Thirty participants 11-18 years were recruited from among Bhutanese refugee families resettled within the last 5 years in a major metropolitan area in the Southeast U.S. Open-ended questions were coded by hand and analyzed for themes regarding healthy eating, opinions of friends, food preferences and food related stereotypes. Correspondence analysis was performed for frequencies in food consumption as reported by the participant and on behalf of the best friend.
Adolescent refugees incorporated new ‘American’ foods into their diet with resettlement but also retained preferences for traditional Bhutanese foods. Adolescents reported similarities with their best friend in food consumption and preferences. Respondents viewed their own diets and the diets of their friends as being generally healthy.
Dietary acculturation is a social process, and adolescents make choices about what foods from their traditional culture to maintain and which ones to adopt from their new communities by comparing and negotiating their choices. This process of selection is negotiated through interactions with friends, who have been shown to influence a multitude of behaviors, including immigrants’ acculturation patterns.

Authors

• Sarah Gray, Emory University

• Solveig Argeseanu Cunningham, Emory University

• Elizabeth Vaquera, University of South Florida