Socioeconomic, Nutrient, and Health Risk Factors Associated with Dietary Patterns in Adult Populations from 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey

ABSTRACT

The objective of the study was to define dietary patterns in the representative Korean adult population and to explore their associations with other factors. The Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey was conducted on a stratified random sample (n = 9,968) of the Korean population in 2001. This study analyzed data of 5,721 adult population aged 30 and over. Demographic and lifestyle factors were assessed by questionnaires and food consumption by a 24-h recall method. Cluster analysis identified two dietary patterns with 22 food groups the larger group that included 85% of total subjects was named as the "traditional" pattern due to greater intakes of white rice, kimchi, and vegetables, and the smaller group was named as the "modified" pattern which had greater intakes of noodles, bread, snack, and fast foods. The modified pattern had significantly higher proportion in younger age, higher educational level, residing in metropolitan area, and higher household income. The modified group showed significantly higher intake of all nutrients except carbohydrate. Percent of energy from fat intake, 22% was significantly higher in the modified group than 14% in the traditional group. There were no differences in prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its 5 components among patterns. In conclusion, there were two distinctive patterns that were associated with socio-demographic, nutrient intake, and health risk factors in Korea. It should be considered when designing nutrition policy and intervention program.