Influence of Living Arrangements and Eating Behavior on the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: A National Cross-Sectional Study in South Korea.

Heesook Son,Hyerang Kim

doi:10.3390/ijerph16060919

Abstract

Studies on the relationships between health, different living arrangements, and eating behaviors across age groups are limited. Therefore, we investigated these associations, focusing on metabolic syndrome, among 16,015 South Koreans aged ≥19 years who completed the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2016). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that younger adults (<65 years) who lived and ate alone consumed more carbohydrates than those who lived and ate with others (p < 0.01). The odds of metabolic syndrome in younger adults increased with eating alone (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10–4.02) and living and eating alone (2.39, 1.25–4.58). Older adults (≥65 years) did not differ in dietary intake or prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to their living and eating situations. Younger adults living and eating alone may benefit from customized nutrition and health management programs to reduce their risk of metabolic syndrome.

Highlights

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with a substantially greater risk of all-cause mortality.With a worldwide prevalence in the adult population of approximately 20–30%, MetS has noticeably aggravated the global health burden [1]
We observed a significant difference in dietary intake by living arrangements and eating behavior only among younger adults (Table 1); namely, the LA × EA group consumed the highest amount of carbohydrates (p < 0.01) and obtained more of their energy from carbohydrates (p < 0.01), such that their intake exceeded the carbohydrate acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges (AMDRs) of 55–65%
We observed differences in risk factors for MetS by living arrangements and eating behavior only among younger adults (Table 2 and Table S2): the number of risk factors for MetS was highest in the LA × EA group (p < 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with a substantially greater risk of all-cause mortality.With a worldwide prevalence in the adult population of approximately 20–30%, MetS has noticeably aggravated the global health burden [1]. Unhealthy dietary patterns, including meal irregularity, skipping meals, and eating out, are known to play a critical role in the development of MetS [2]. Living alone is associated with a number of negative health outcomes, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity [5,6]. These findings suggest that living alone possibly influences dietary intake and eating behaviors [7]. Eating alone has a negative influence on dietary patterns and diet quality and may lead to nutritional inadequacy and imbalance as well as undesirable dietary behaviors known to be risk factors for

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