Socioeconomic, Acculturation, and Lifestyle Factors Affecting the Dietary Patterns of Korean-Americans in California

This study was conducted to define dietary patterns and to evaluate the effects of socioeconomic, acculturation and lifestyle factors on dietary patterns among 2,746 Korean- Americans in California. It was a cross-sectional telephone survey based on a representative sampling of individuals with a Korean surname using residential phone listings. It was conducted using a food frequency questionnaire that covered 20 food items, socioeconomic variables such as age, gender, income, education and acculturation, and lifestyle factors such as body weight, alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise and consumption of fast food. Four dietary patterns were identified: American Foods (AF), American Breakfast (AB), Korean Foods (KF) and Vegetables (Ⅴ). AF was associated with younger men, acculturation and fast food consumption. AB was associated with women, higher education, current smoking and fast food consumption. KF was associated with acculturation and lower socioeconomic status. Ⅴ was associated with lifestyle factors such as smoking, exercising and fast food consumption. The results of the study showed that socioeconomic and lifestyle factors influenced the dietary patterns of Korean- Americans. This should be considered when dietary interventions are designed for Korean-Americans to improve their health status.