Explores dietary changes among a group of Southeast Asian refugee adolescents who had been in Minnesota for 5 years or less. Study participants were roughly 200 male and female high school students originally from Cambodia, rural Laos, and Vietnam. A questionnaire covered meal and snack patterns, beliefs about foods that were healthy or not, preferences for Southeast Asian and American foods, and the frequency with which study participants ate certain foods. Among the findings were that: (1) between-meal snacking was uncommon; (2) nearly half the students usually prepared the evening meal; (3) rice was the one food consumed most often by nearly all the students, whereas cheese was least often consumed; (4) foods believed to make one healthy and strong were rice, vegetables, beef, chicken, and oranges, whereas dairy products were thought to make one fat; and (5) the Hmong had the least knowledge about the health benefits of food. Results suggested that these adolescents had maintained strong ties to their native foods, although they universally adopted the practice of drinking fresh milk, which typically is unavailable in Southeast Asia. A school-based nutrition education program could address general nutrition, food preparation techniques, and the constituents of a balanced diet.
