This descriptive study was conducted to provide a description of dietary intake of Arab international college students along with dietary changes associated with relocation in Northeast Ohio in addition to evaluating the overall differences in food intake based on gender and marital status. A self administrated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was completed by 95 Arab international college students.
The respondents reported noticeable changes in their food preferences and consumption of both traditional and westernized foods. The results revealed shift toward westernized and local foods along with a general unbalanced consumption from food groups for the majority of participants. However, the results showed few differences based on gender and marital status. Traditional food consumption decreased less than or equal to (p 0.05) whereas westernized food consumption increased, less than or equal to (p 0.05).
Overall, the results suggested newly arriving Arab international college students might benefit from nutrition education relative to westernized food intake.