Comparative Study on Dietary Life of Southeast Asian Workers Living in South Korea

Abstract

This study analyzed the dietary status of Southeast Asian workers living in South Korea in order to provide basic data to develop a program that allows workers to map desirable eating habits while living in Korea. Questionnaires were completed by 251 Southeast East Asian workers living in South Korea. From our study, we found that respondents ate three meals a day, and Vietnamese had less regular meal times than others. Thai, Cambodian, and Myanmar workers ate snacks several times a day, as they did in their own countries. For adapting Korean food, Vietnamese and Cambodian workers had difficulties due to spicy and salty flavors while Thai and Myanmar works had difficulties due to unfamiliar ingredients and cooking method. Thai workers were the fastest to adapt to Korean food, and the Thai ratio of eating homeland food daily was highest. Male respondents ate more often than women. Workers had access to cooking facilities in their house and usually ate more homeland food than workers that did not have access to cooking facilities. By providing understanding of dietary patterns of Southeast Asian workers, these results can be used as basic data to develop a program for Korean food adaptation.