Mapping and synthesising the evidence on dietary acculturation and identify factors influencing post-migration dietary behaviours among Indian immigrants in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK: A scoping review protocol

This scoping review aims to systematically map the type, extent, and nature of evidence on dietary acculturation and the factors influencing dietary behaviours among first-generation Indian immigrants residing in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The review will include English-language peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 1 January 2000 and 22 May 2025. A preliminary search of MEDLINE COCHRANE library and JBI Evidence Synthesis revealed no existing scoping or systematic reviews on this specific topic within these countries. Given the growing Indian diaspora and the complexity of dietary acculturation shaped by behavioural, cultural, economic, and environmental factors, this review will provide insight into how dietary patterns change post-migration and the key influences behind those changes. This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology. A comprehensive three-step search strategy will be applied across databases including MEDLINE (via PubMed), CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar (via Publish or Perish) to identify relevant studies and grey literature respectively. All citations identified from database searches will be exported to EndNote for reference management and then imported into Covidence for deduplication, screening and data extraction. Titles and abstracts, followed by full texts, will be independently screened by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved through discussion or by a third reviewer and the study selection process will be documented using a PRISMA flow diagram. Objectives: 1. To map the extent, range and nature of evidence on dietary acculturation among first-generation Indian immigrants in the four target countries. 2. To identify factors influencing dietary behaviours post-migration. Review Question: What does the evidence reveal about how and why dietary behaviours change post-migration among Indian immigrants in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK, and what are the key factors influence these changes? Inclusion Criteria: Participants: First-generation Indian immigrants of all ages residing in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Concept: Studies exploring changes in food consumption pattern, dietary behaviours, and the cultural, environmental and socioeconomic factors influencing these shifts post-migration. Context: Community-based settings within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. Exclusion Criteria: Studies will be excluded if they focus on second-generation immigrants, refugees or asylum seekers, clinical dietary interventions for non-communicable diseases, or are published in languages other than English, as these contexts reflect dietary changes driven by factors distinct from general post-migration acculturation and fall outside the scope of this review. Types of Sources: Peer-reviewed quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies. Both comparative (e.g., cohort, case–control, quasi-experimental) and non-comparative (e.g., cross-sectional surveys, case studies, narrative reports) designs will be included. Grey literature including theses, government and organisational reports, policy documents, and conference proceedings. Language and Date Range: Only English-language sources published between 01 January 2000 and 22 May 2025 will be included.