Association between eating behaviour and diet quality: eating alone vs. eating with others.

Wonjeong Chae, Yeong Jun Ju, Jaeyong Shin, Sung-In Jang, Eun-Cheol Park

Journal: Nutrition journal 2019;17(1):117

PMID: 30567552

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Plain Language Summary

Selecting foods for a day is easily influenced by the social environment and eating together or alone plays a big role in that decision. The study aims to evaluate the association between diet quality of the modern Korean adult population based on the eating behaviour and the socioeconomic factors that influence their diet quality. The study is a cross-sectional study which included 3365 men and 5258 women aged between 19 and 64 years. The study included demographic, socioeconomics, and health behaviour factors as covariates. Results indicate that diet quality is influence by eating behaviour. Authors observed that when Korean adults ate without a companion, their diet quality was significantly lower than those who consistently ate with others. Furthermore, from the higher education to lower education level, the diet quality declined when they eat alone. Authors conclude that many Korean adults are experiencing low diet quality when they eat alone. The study provides evidence to promote interventions to improve diet quality among the public.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

To discover the association between eating alone and diet quality among Korean adults who eat alone measured by the mean adequacy ratio (MAR), METHODS: The cross-sectional study in diet quality which was measured by nutrient intakes, indicated as MAR and nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) with the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VI 2013-2015 data. Study population was 8523 Korean adults. Multiple linear regression was performed to identify the association between eating behaviour and MAR and further study analysed how socioeconomic factors influence the diet quality of those who eat alone.

RESULTS

We found that the diet quality of people who eat alone was lower than that of people who eat together in both male (β: - 0.110, p = 0.002) and female participants (β: - 0.069, p = 0.005). Among who eats alone, the socioeconomic factors that negatively influenced MAR with the living arrangement, education level, income levels, and various occupation classifications.

CONCLUSIONS

People who eat alone have nutrition intake below the recommended amount. This could lead to serious health problems not only to those who are socially disadvantaged but also those who are in a higher social stratum. Policy-makers should develop strategies to enhance diet quality to prevent potential risk factors.

Address: Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.; Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-752, Republic of Korea.; Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-752, Republic of Korea.; Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-752, Republic of Korea.; Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-752, Republic of Korea. [email protected].; Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-752, Republic of Korea. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1186/s12937-018-0424-0

Patient Centred Factor

Antecedents: Eating behaviour

Physical Environment

Psychosocial influences

Clinical Imbalances

Neurological

Modifiable Lifestyle Factors

Diet

Nutrition Evidence Keywords

BMI Body mass index Malnutrition Diet quality

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MeSH Terms: Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Diet, Energy Intake, Feeding Behavior, Female, Humans, Korea, Male, Middle Aged, Nutrition Surveys, Nutritional Status, Socioeconomic Factors, Young Adult