According to Statistics Korea, the number of married migrant women has increased along with the number of multicultural families. This study investigated the diet of women immigrated to Korea by marriage, who have become members of Korean society sinc...
According to Statistics Korea, the number of married migrant women has increased along with the number of multicultural families. This study investigated the diet of women immigrated to Korea by marriage, who have become members of Korean society since the increase of multicultural families and the enactment of relevant laws 12 years ago, and their demand for nutrition education. For the research, 96 married immigrant women who had been living in Jeonju, Sunchang, and Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea for more than five years were recruited. Although the research subjects showed a tendency to take good care of themselves with eating, they were also favorable toward alcohol, indicating that nutrition education is required. In addition, even though the survey subjects had been living in Korea for more than five years, they found it difficult to choose from different brands, which suggests that they struggle with grocery shopping. They had obtained dietary information mostly from the Internet and showed high need and demand for nutrition education. The lower the education level, the more they found it difficult to obtain information on food hygiene and nutrition, and vice versa. Most of the survey subjects preferred education and experience activities about traditional food and food culture and the small-group education method. We found that it was necessary to develop nutrition education materials and programs for married migrant women, who had been neglected due to language barriers, and that they were willing to participate in nutrition education programs. The study results on the survey subjects’ preference for the education content and method are expected to be useful in developing effective programs in the future.