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

Abstract

BackgroundTo discover the association between eating alone and diet quality among Korean adults who eat alone measured by the mean adequacy ratio (MAR),MethodsThe 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.ResultsWe 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.ConclusionsPeople 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.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12937-018-0424-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Associations between Meal Companions and Obesity in South Korean Adults

“…Today, followed by the breakdown of the traditional family culture, single person households increased significantly in Korea [7,8]. As a result, eating alone has become a popular new trend that myriad restaurants even provide special seats and menus for single customers [9,10]. When having family dinner, people tend to focus more on the food that they usually consume and subsequently keep their proper amount [19].…”

“…Additionally, single person households in Korea are expected to further increase, reaching 37.3% of total households in 2047 [8]. In conjunction with these statistics, eating alone is becoming a popular new trend in Korea [9]. An increased amount of restaurants are encouraging these emerging dietary patterns by providing special seats for single customers, reflecting the fact that, no matter a person's sex, age, or occupation, eating alone has become increasingly popularized [10].…”

Hubungan Penggunaan Aplikasi Pesan Antar Makanan Online Dengan Frekuensi Makan Dan Kualitas Diet Mahasiswa

“…Selain penggunaan aplikasi pesan antar makanan online, perilaku makan dapat dipengaruhi oleh beberapa faktor yang selanjutnya berdampak pada kualitas diet. 29 Menurut teori Lawrence Green, ada 3 faktor utama penentu perilaku yaitu faktor predisposisi, pemungkin dan penguat. Faktor predisposisi yang telah dianalisis dalam penelitian ini meliputi agama, jenis kelamin, daerah asal dan pengetahuan gizi namun hasilnya tidak memiliki hubungan terhadap frekuensi makan dan kualitas diet.…”

Nutritional challenges in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…It has been demonstrated that older adults who eat meals in the company of others have better dietary quality [17,18]. Hence, the family and caregivers of these older adults should organize a schedule to be present during mealtimes using social media.…”