Food access, dietary acculturation, and food insecurity among international tertiary education students: a scoping review protocol

Objective: This scoping review aims to synthesize existing evidence on dietary changes and food security status of international students who attend tertiary education facilities. Factors affecting nutrition and health, academic and psychological outcomes will also be examined. Introduction: More and more students choose to complete higher education in a foreign country, and these international students often have to establish new dietary habits in an unfamiliar culture and food environment. Nutritional status and food insecurity for college students have been frequently discussed, but similar issues for international students receive less attention. Inclusion criteria: Quantitative and qualitative studies that investigate international students within tertiary education institutions in any country will be considered for inclusion. Eligible studies should include changes in dietary behaviors and food patterns, with associated factors, after students arrive in the host country. Studies that assess food insecurity among international students will also be included. Methods: The electronic databases, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, Global Health, CENTRAL and PsycINFO, will be searched. The language of articles will be limited to English. A three-step strategy will be employed for screening. Two reviewers will conduct screening and data extraction. A draft data charting form will be used to extract data from included studies and modified as required for the final extraction. The patterns of dietary changes and food security status with influencers will be charted and summarized.