Nutrient and Food Intake of Koreans by the Economic Status and Meal Pattern Using 1998 Korean National Health Examination Nutrition Survey

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to investigate difference in the diet by the kind of meal and the economic status. Nutrient contents at each meals were compared and differences in food intake at different meal were analyzed by economic status. Data from the 1998 Korean National Health Examination Nutrition Survey were used. Using the poverty line based on the 1998 Korean minimum cost of living, the subjects (n = 10400) were classified into high class (36.1%), middle class (40.7%) and low class (23.1%). Most nutrient intakes were obtained for main meals regardless of economic status. For high class, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks bring about 21, 29, 30 and 19 % of total energy intake, for middle class 22, 29, 30 and 19% and for low class 24, 30, 30 and 16%, respectively. The high-middle class people tend to get more food intakes and nutrients at dinner and snacks, while the low class at main meals. This result was associated with the consumption of a smaller number of meals and a greater number of snacks daily as the economic level was going up (p < 0.05). Meals contributed to energy, protein and fat intake, and snacks to water, retinol and vitamin C. The food intakes by food group were different at meals by economic class. Seaweed product were popular breakfast foods in both middle and low groups. Thus three meals such as breakfast, lunch and dinner still delivered most of the energy and most of the macro nutrients regardless of economic status.