Sex Difference in the Relationship between Evening Meal-Sharing and Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome: The 2013-2014 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract

Background: The rapid socioeconomic growth in Korea has resulted in profound lifestyle changes, such as the Westernization of diet or single-person household, which may be related to metabolic alterations. We examined the relationship between evening meal sharing and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome by using representative data for Korean men and women. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2013–2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. To investigate outcome variables in the relationship between evening meal sharing and the risk factors for metabolic syndrome, weighted chi-square and simple linear analyses were used. Logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between evening meal sharing and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to sex. Results: In the complex sample logistic analysis, metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with having dinner alone, after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, regular exercise, marital status, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglyceride level, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level, and total energy intake in men (odds ratio [OR], 1.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08–3.24). However, the risk of metabolic syndrome was lower with evening meal sharing than with having dinner alone in women (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.28–0.86). Conclusion: Our study suggests that evening meal sharing may have a sex-related difference in influence on metabolic syndrome.