A scoping review of 23 articles on acculturation and diet in Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants found most studies were cross-sectional and none reported separate estimates for Pacific Islanders.
This scoping review highlights a significant gap in rigorous, longitudinal research on the relationship between acculturation and diet among Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants in the U.S., particularly for Pacific Islanders.
Introduction: Acculturation has a documented and important relationship with diet among immigrant populations. While this relationship has been extensively studied in Latino immigrants in the U.S., less research has focused on Asian and Pacific Islander immigrant (APII) populations, and few reviews have synthesized this evidence. Aims: The objective of this scoping review is to summarize quantitative research and approaches to examining acculturation and diet in studies of both aggregated APII populations and disaggregated APII subgroups. A secondary objective is to review the socio-ecological factors studied in relation to acculturation and diet. Methods: We identified articles from a search of MEDLINE and Embase conducted in July 2024 that assessed the relationship between acculturation status and diet among individuals identifying as Asian or Pacific Islander. Included articles were quantitative studies that focused on adult APIIs who resided in the U.S. The data extracted included details of the study design, APII subgroups represented, dietary measures used, acculturation/dietary acculturation measures, socio-ecological factors studied, and relevant results. Results: Out of 1,244 articles that were screened, 23 articles met our inclusion criteria. In studies with disaggregated analyses, Korean, Chinese, and Asian Indian immigrants were the most frequently studied. No study reported separate estimates for Pacific Islander populations. Most studies were cross-sectional and only one used longitudinal data. Most studies measured the construct of acculturation rather than dietary acculturation. Studies measured acculturation using one of four approaches: proxy measures, unidimensional and bidimensional scales, and cluster analysis. Most studies looked at individual factors, and not at other potentially relevant socio-ecological factors such as intrapersonal and community factors. Intrapersonal factors examined included family members’ dietary preferences. Conclusions: The review documented that there are some studies examining acculturation and diet among APII, but that more rigorous research is needed to understand the unique relationships between acculturation and diet for APII subgroups, particularly underrepresented Pacific Islander populations. Additionally, longitudinal studies that incorporate broader socio-ecological factors are needed to provide insight into mechanisms that explain the association between acculturation and diet.
Zhang et al. (2026) conducted a review in Acculturation and diet (n=23). Acculturation was evaluated on Relationship between acculturation status and diet. A scoping review of 23 articles on acculturation and diet in Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants found most studies were cross-sectional and none reported separate estimates for Pacific Islanders.
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