Foreign-born (first-generation) South Asians face a growing diet-related chronic disease burden. Little is known about whether the adult US-born (second-generation) children of South Asian immigrants can provide unique insights as changemakers in their parents’ dietary behaviors. This study aims to assess how second-generation South Asians describe and influence the dietary behaviors of their parents. Between October and November 2020, 32 second-generation South Asians [mean age 22.4 (SD 2.9), 53% female] participated in online interviews centered around factors involved in their (and their parents) eating behaviors. Thematic analysis revealed three types of parental dietary drivers (socioecological factors that impact the dietary choices of parents): goal-oriented (i.e., parents’ dietary intentionality), capacity-related (e.g., environmental barriers) and sociocultural (cultural familiarity, religion and traditions). Participants described three major mechanisms of influence: recommending new foods, cooking for parents, and bringing new foods home. These influences primarily occurred in the household and often involved participants leveraging their own nutritional knowledge and preferences to expand dietary diversity and healthier behaviors among their parents. Evidence suggests that second-generation South Asians may act as powerful agents of dietary change within their households and can provide novel insights to help address and overcome sociocultural, linguistic, and other structural barriers to better understanding and intervening in the health of the South Asian community.

中文翻译：

---

“我们知道他喜欢什么，即使他不知道”：南亚移民的孩子如何描述和影响父母的饮食

外国出生的（第一代）南亚人面临着与饮食相关的慢性疾病负担日益增加。对于在美国出生的南亚移民（第二代）成年子女是否能够作为父母饮食行为的改变者提供独特的见解，人们知之甚少。本研究旨在评估第二代南亚人如何描述和影响其父母的饮食行为。2020 年 10 月至 11 月期间，32 名第二代南亚人 [平均年龄 22.4 岁 (SD 2.9)，53% 女性] 参与了围绕他们（及其父母）饮食行为因素的在线访谈。主题分析揭示了三种类型的父母饮食驱动因素（影响父母饮食选择的社会生态因素）：目标导向（即父母的饮食意向）、能力相关（例如环境障碍）和社会文化（文化熟悉度、宗教和文化）。传统）。参与者描述了三种主要的影响机制：推荐新食物、为父母做饭以及把新食物带回家。这些影响主要发生在家庭中，通常涉及参与者利用自己的营养知识和偏好来扩大父母的饮食多样性和更健康的行为。有证据表明，第二代南亚人可能成为家庭中饮食改变的强大推动者，并可以提供新颖的见解来帮助解决和克服社会文化、语言和其他结构性障碍，从而更好地理解和干预南亚社区的健康。