Impact of social support on the dietary behaviors of international college students in the United States

Abstract

Objective

International students in the US often adopt unhealthy dietary behaviors, perhaps due to lack of familiarity and social support. This study examined the impact of social support on international college students’ dietary behaviors.

Participants

This study surveyed international students (N = 318) from five public universities in one Midwest state.

Methods

Participants completed an electronic survey assessing self-reported eating habits and perceived social support using the Social Support for Eating Habits and the Starting the Conversation (STC) scales. Data analyses included multiple linear regression and multiple logistic regression to test the study’s hypotheses. Comparisons were made to explore the impact of perceived social support on international students’ dietary behaviors.

Results

Significant predictors of unhealthy dietary behaviors included region of origin (specifically, being from East Asia, Europe and North America) and having families that discouraged healthy eating habits. Additionally, living with immediate family members significantly decreased students’ likelihood of having higher friend encouragement for healthy eating habits. Finally, the amount of time participants spent in the US significantly increased their likelihood of having more discouragement of healthy eating from their friends.

Conclusions

International students’ unhealthy eating habits increased when their families discouraged them from healthy eating. Interventions promoting healthy diet among international students should consider including family members to increase social support for healthy eating habits.

Keywords:

• College students
• diet
• international students
• nutrition
• social support

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article meet ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements of the United States of America. This study was approved by the Human Subjects Committee of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or preparation of this manuscript.