"A Study on the Foreign Students'Adaptation Process of Health and Japanese Dietary style"

Research Project

Project/Area Number	04454221
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	公衆衛生学
Research Institution	University of Tokyo
Principal Investigator	MARUI Eiji International Center University of Tokyo Professor, 留学生センター, 教授 (30111545)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	NAKAI Satoshi Faculty of Medicine University of Tokyo Research Associate, 医学部, 助手 (70217644) KANEKO Shun Faculty of Education, Bunkyo University, Professor, 教育学部, 教授 (90086786)
Project Period (FY)	1992 – 1994
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1994)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,500,000) Fiscal Year 1994: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000) Fiscal Year 1993: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000) Fiscal Year 1992: ¥2,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000)
Keywords	Foreign students / Dietary style / Health / Adaptation / Culture / Mental stress
Research Abstract	In this research project, one of our objectives is to observe and analyze the adaptation process to the Japanese type of dietary style, of foreign students with different dietary cultures. In addition, it is also important role for us to suggest some basic principles applicable for the foreign student supervision for health. In the first year, a questionnaire method survey was applied to some 200 Korean students in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The students were asked their attributes, health status, dietary style in their own country and that in Japan. In the second year, using the questionnaire developed in the first year, 32 foreign students in a private university were followed up in this year. These students were comprised of 21 male and 11 female. The numbers and nationalities of the students were 6 Taiwanese, 4 Chinese, 3 Korean, 2 Malaysian, 1 Peruvian and 1 American. From the early stage investigations in our three-year research project, it was pointed out that the difference of life styles between undergraduate and graduate students was fairly remarkable. In the final year, our research was extended just from dietary style and health status to the general life styles of foreign students. An international comparative health study was carried out between Korean graduate students in Korea and Japan. From this study, although we often looked at the similar aspects between the Korean culture and the Japanese one, the mental stress due to the different dietary styles were recognized by themselves as the huge barriers. Since the research area concerning foreign students in Japan is getting more crucial in the near future because of their growing number in this country and their international roles for Japan, more research efforts will be needed even after the termination of this small sized research project in this year.