Course:VANT149/2020/Capstone/Arts/Team27
Introduction
Our research explores the possible impact of dietary acculturation on international (VANT 149) students' level of meat consumption, focusing on how cultural transitions influence international students' perception of sustainability and dietary habits.
Biographies
Bohan (leo) Yu:
Bohan (Leo) Yu flew from Beijing to Canada. As a first-year Vantage student at UBC, he is aiming to major in Human Geography and Urban Studies. He likes to travel around the world to explore different cultures. Unfortunately for him, it is a nightmare to self-isolate at home during this Covid-19 outbreak. Luckily, he and his group members are working with passion for their research project at home around Vant149 student’s habit changes on meat consumption after their arrival in Canada. By investigating and interviewing on food sustainability-related research, he is determined to accurately portray the dietary conditions among the international students.
Maoting (Jason) Li: Maoting (Jason) Li is a first-year freshman at Vantage College. He aims to major in Economics at UBC. He learned from his interactions with the locals the importance of sustainability as BC is a province that is blessed with abundant natural resources and breathtaking landscapes. Exploring various cuisines is his passion. He is somewhat of an amateur food connoisseur and loves to explore the similarities and differences in regional cuisines and the dietary habits that are reflected through these dishes. This is what compels him to be a part of the project.
Chutao (Alex) Zhang: Chutao (Alex) Zhang is currently a first-year UBC student in the Vantage Arts programme and is planning to pursue a major in International Relations in the coming years. He is from Inner-Mongolia, North-Western China, which is famous for vast grassland, horse and deer. Chutao has a deep attachment to nature and the environment, which boosts his interests in the concept of sustainability. The valuable experience as an international student encourages him to explore the impact of cultural transition on individuals’ level of meat consumption, which is an enduring theme for sustainability. He believes that through conducting this research, genuine contributions could be made to really make a difference.
Chunyu (Chace) Zhang:
Chunyu (Chace) Zhang is a freshman in the UBC Vantage program, and this is his first year in Canada. For him, this new environment, Canada is full of mysteries which arouse his curiosity to explore more during university life. The first thing he wanted to do was to taste all kinds of delicious food, which also became the reason why he joined the research on sustainability-- investigating the important relationship between meat consumption and sustainability. He firmly believes that this research can explore the key to food sustainability and strengthen sustainable development.
Academic Abstract
The Impact of Dietary Acculturation on International Students' Meat Consumption
Unsustainable meat consumption has been a major factor in the rise of Greenhouse Gases and human diseases (Shimokawa, 2015; Wu. et al., 2014). This study assesses the degree of dietary acculturation with a focus on possible changes in the level of meat consumption that international students have experienced after they have settled at UBC with the research question: to what extent does dietary acculturation influence international students' portions of meat consumption in their daily diets? Previous studies have shown that dietary acculturation commonly occurs among international students (Wu. et al., 2014). However, limited studies have been conducted in a Canadian context, which outstands the research gap that this research aims to address. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 6 participants and recorded the interviews for transcription and further thematic data analysis. We used a combination of apriori and open codes to analyze the interview transcripts ensuring any emerging, new themes are recorded and analyzed in-depth. The three key findings of our study are: 1) All participants started to focus more on the balance of nutritional level in their daily diets (e.g. vegetable with meat) 2) They are willing to reduce meat consumption (if needed) for environmental protection 3) Intense university curriculum can impact international students' choice for healthy dietary habits. Our findings can deepen VANT 149 students' understanding of their dietary acculturation. The study also expands the scholarly scope that emphasizes the roles of genders and ethnicities on individuals' meat consumption (Gossard & York, 2003) by adding dietary acculturation as another prominent factor.
Keywords: dietary acculturation, meat consumption, sustainability, international students
References
1. Gossard, M., & York, R. (2003). Social Structural Influences on Meat Consumption. Human Ecology Review, 10(1), 1-9. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/24707082
2. Shimokawa, S. (2015). Sustainable meat consumption in China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture. Vol. 14, Iss 6. Pp. 1023-1032. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311914609862
3. Wu, G., Bazer, F.W. & Cross, H.R. (2014), Land‐based production of animal protein: impacts, efficiency, and sustainability. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1328: 18-28. Retrieved from https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nyas.12566