Acculturation and Food Intake Among Ghanaian Migrants in Europe: Findings From the RODAM Study
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Date
2019
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Nutrition Education and Behaviour
Abstract
Objective: This study examined the role of migration and acculturation in the diet of Ghanaian migrants
in Europe by (1) comparing food intake of Ghanaian migrants in Europe with that of Ghanaians living in
Ghana and (2) assessing the association between acculturation and food intake.
Design: Data from the cross-sectional multicenter study Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African
Migrants were used. Food intake was assessed using a Ghana-specific food propensity questionnaire (134 items
and 14 food groups); foods were grouped based on a model of dietary change proposed by Kocturk-Runefors. €
Setting: Ghana, London, Amsterdam, and Berlin.
Participants: A total of 4,534 Ghanaian adults living in Ghana and Europe, with complete dietary data.
Of these, 1,773 Ghanaian migrants had complete acculturation data.
Main Outcome Measure: Food intake (the weighted intake frequency per week of food categories).
Analysis: Linear regression.
Results: Food intake differed between Ghanaians living in Ghana and Europe. Among Ghanaian migrants
in Europe, there were inconsistent and small associations between acculturation and food intake, except for
ethnic identity, which was consistently associated with intake only of traditional staples.
Conclusions and Implications: Findings indicate that migration is associated with dietary changes that
cannot be fully explained by ethnic, cultural, and social acculturation. The study provides limited support
to the differential changes in diet suggested by the Kocturk-Runefors’ model of dietary change.
Description
This article is published by Nutrition Education and Behaviour and is also available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2019.09.004