IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i6p2505-d1610880.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Dietary Transitions and Sustainability Among Asian International Tertiary Education Students in Western Countries: A Scoping Review

Author

Listed:
  • Hannah Millar

    (Nutrition and Dietetics, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Deanna Tzivakis

    (Nutrition and Dietetics, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Anna Rangan

    (Nutrition and Dietetics, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
    Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia)

  • Rajshri Roy

    (Nutrition and Dietetics, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
    Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia)

Abstract

Western countries host a significant number of international tertiary students from Asia, who often undergo dietary acculturation, impacting their health, well-being, and the sustainability of their diets. This scoping review critically examines dietary transitions among this demographic, focusing on the extent, nature, and drivers of these changes, with a strong emphasis on sustainability implications. We conducted a comprehensive search across five databases from 2014 to 2024, including all review types, primary studies, and theses/dissertations, yielding thirty-eight relevant studies. The results reveal a marked shift from traditional to Western dietary patterns, characterised by increased consumption of processed foods and decreased intake of culturally traditional foods. Despite the challenges of limited access to traditional food stores and unfamiliar food environments, students showed a strong preference for maintaining their traditional dietary habits. Notably, the shift towards higher consumption of meat, dairy, and sugary foods, coupled with lower intake of fruits, vegetables, and fish, underscores the urgent need for policies that support access to culturally appropriate, environmentally sustainable food choices. This review advocates for a reinforced focus on integrating culturally sensitive, sustainable dietary practices into strategies aimed at supporting international students.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah Millar & Deanna Tzivakis & Anna Rangan & Rajshri Roy, 2025. "Dietary Transitions and Sustainability Among Asian International Tertiary Education Students in Western Countries: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-37, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:6:p:2505-:d:1610880
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2505/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2505/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kathrine E. Wright & Julie E. Lucero & Jenanne K. Ferguson & Michelle L. Granner & Paul G. Devereux & Jennifer L. Pearson & Eric Crosbie, 2021. "The impact that cultural food security has on identity and well-being in the second-generation U.S. American minority college students," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(3), pages 701-715, June.
    2. Xiyao Liu & Haoyue Chen & Qianling Zhou & Huifeng Zhang & Phensiri Asawasirisap & John Kearney, 2020. "Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards Diet and Health among International Students in Dublin: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-13, May.
    3. Zi Yan & Kathleen FitzPatrick, 2016. "Acculturation and health behaviors among international students: A qualitative approach," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(1), pages 58-63, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Weiyu Mao & Jia Li & Ling Xu & Iris Chi, 2020. "Acculturation and health behaviors among older Chinese immigrants in the United States: A qualitative descriptive study," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(3), pages 714-722, September.
    2. Michał Machul & Monika Bieniak & Justyna Chałdaś-Majdańska & Jadwiga Bąk & Agnieszka Chrzan-Rodak & Paulina Mazurek & Piotr Pawłowski & Daria Makuch-Kuśmierz & Anna Obuchowska & Adrianna Bartoszek & K, 2020. "Lifestyle Practices, Satisfaction with Life and the Level of Perceived Stress of Polish and Foreign Medical Students Studying in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-10, June.
    3. Charlotte Bauch & Liv Elin Torheim & Kari Almendingen & Marianne Molin & Laura Terragni, 2023. "Food Habits and Forms of Food Insecurity among International University Students in Oslo: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-20, February.
    4. Gurung, Suraj & Ritacco, Jonathan & Chen, Lijun Angelia & Lai, John, 2024. "A Case Study on the Home Cooking Movement – Legalization, Market, and Competition," Applied Economics Teaching Resources (AETR), Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 6(4), December.
    5. Miae Doo & Chunyang Wang, 2022. "Differences in Overweight or Obesity, Changes in Dietary Habits after Studying Abroad and Sleep Quality by Acculturative Degree among Asian Foreign Students: A Cross Sectional Pilot Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-9, April.
    6. Xiyao Liu & Haoyue Chen & Qianling Zhou & Huifeng Zhang & Phensiri Asawasirisap & John Kearney, 2020. "Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards Diet and Health among International Students in Dublin: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-13, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:6:p:2505-:d:1610880. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.