FOOD INTAKES OF ADULT MELBOURNE CHINESE

Food intake patterns of 545 adult Melbourne Chinese were studied in 19 88 and 1989 using a 220-item food-frequency questionnaire appropriate for Chinese eating practices. Men and women were compared, adjusting f or age, time in Australia and education. Men consumed more rice and al coholic beverages as energy. In women, the energy intake was derived f rom foods of traditional Chinese types. There were two types of consum ption patterns: in the first group were those who acculturated towards an Australian way of eating by replacing some traditional Chinese foo ds, such as rice, pork, leafy green and cruciferous vegetables, soups and tea, with 'new foods', such as wheat products, red meats and coffe e; in the second were those who limited their intake to a handful of t raditional Chinese foods as the major source of energy. The educated, the professional and those with an administrative profession, the Aust ralian-born and those with a longer length of stay fitted into the fir st group, and were more acculturated towards Australia than those born in the People's Republic of China or Vietnam and who migrated at an o lder age. The first group may benefit from the best of both worlds, bu t may risk the diseases of an industrialised society. The second group may be trapped at a cultural crossroads and may be unable to make app ropriate food choices. Public health efforts in Australia, where one i n every five is overseas-born, should provide for nutrition and health education for new and aged migrants of non-European cultural backgrou nds.