The number of the immigrants in Korea is over million since 2009 and Korea already become a multi-national country. Nevertheless, there are no many researches on the immigration issues such as Korean dietary acculturation.
The research objective is t...
The number of the immigrants in Korea is over million since 2009 and Korea already become a multi-national country. Nevertheless, there are no many researches on the immigration issues such as Korean dietary acculturation.
The research objective is to develop and evaluated new dietary acculturation scale and to establish the models for Korean dietary acculturation by each country of origin. For this, this research were excuted that the first study was made to access the patterns of Korean dietary acculturation together with the quantative & qualitative methods, and the second study was estabilished Korean dietary acculturation models by each country through the path analysis by AMOS.
As the first study, the research was developped new dietary acculturation scale and for this, the correlation of the socio-economic status and then, the types of the dietary acculturaion between the country of origin, the origin of the epouse as the factor of country and food neophobia as a individual character were analysed.
And then, as the result of the dietary acculturation, the comparison of the differences of choice for the Korean foods & their home foods and the attitudes & behavior for the Korean foods were analysed.
The samples were 408 immigrants living in Korea (100 Mongolians, 105 Vietnams, 98 Chinese and 105 Phillipinos). Interviews in depth by the immigrants of each 4 country were also conducted to supplement the statistical data as well as survey. For statistical analysis, SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 6.0 were used.
The research findings can be summarized as follows:
First, 80.1% of the immigrants were women and 18.6% were men and their ages were below 25 years old(23.3%), 25-29(27.5%), 30-34(16.7%), 35-39(16.2%) and over 40 years old(14.7%).
Second, Pearson correlation analysis was conducted for the correlation between the dietary acculturation scale and general acculturation scale which resulted the positive correlation toward the orientation of Korean food culture and the orientation of home food culture and then, 4 types of the dietary acculturation such as Integration, Assimilation, Separation and Marginalization were classified.
Third, the country of origin both of the immigrants and the epouse of the immigrants had significantly difference among the types of the dietary acculturation.
Fourth, the correlation between the dietary acculturation and food neophobia scale was analysed that lower food neophobia scale, better Korean food culture orientation, and also, better Korean food culture orientation, better the satisfaction of life in Korea.
Fifth, Assimilation type choose mainly Korean foods and Separation type choose mainly home foods and both of Korean foods & their home foods.
Sixth, familiarity, satisfaction, experience and try to willingness on 12 Korean foods had significantly differences between Integration type and Marginalization type.
Seventh, the models by each country for the dietary acculturation were established through the path analysis by AMOS.
The theoretical and practical implications of this study can be summarized as follows:
First, the study was developped new dietary acculturation scale based on multi-dimensional model in Korea at the first time, which was to classify them to the 4 types of the dietary acculturation such as Integration, Assimilation, Separation and Marginalization.
This study was proved that this scale would be suitable for the immigrants' dietary acculturation to find out the correlation between the dietary acculturation with the general acculturation.
Second, many significant findings of this study could be used as practical guidelines to be more helpful for the politi챠ans and dietitians for multi-cultural people including the multi-cultural family and workers.
Third, this study was shown the importance of their home food culture as well as ours to understand each other and to settle the success of life in Korean and the meaning of 'Food' to communicate people and find out the food history.
Fourth, the 4 types of the dietary acculturation was shown the differences significantly with the attitude and behavior for Korean food, the dietary pattern and the food choice and the country of origin has significantly correlated with all factors of the dietary acculturation.
Fifth, this study was proved that FNS has been negatively correlated with the attitudes of Korean foods. The people who accepted the new Korean food well will adapt more easily to Korean culture.
In conclusion, the education of Korean foods and their home foods to communicate with the immigrants is necessary and for this, we have to introduce and educate them Korean food culture as well as their home food culture at the early immigration state through multi-cultural center and mess-media like drama.
It may be faciliated to acculturate them to our society by mediating foods and further individualised study is required for the acculturation of the immigrants and Korean food culture using the dietary acculturation scale.