Nutr Res Pract.  2023 Oct;17(5):984-996. 10.4162/nrp.2023.17.5.984.

Gender differences in the association between food costs and obesity in Korean adults: an analysis of a population-based cohort

• Park S
• Kim J

• KMID: 2546953
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2023.17.5.984

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES
Prior studies, mostly conducted in Western countries, have suggested that the low cost of energy-dense foods is associated with an increased risk of obesity. This study aimed to investigate the association between food costs and obesity risk among Koreans who may have different food cost and dietary patterns than those of Western populations.
SUBJECTS/METHODS
We used baseline data from a cohort of 45,193 men and 83,172 women aged 40–79 years (in 2006–2013). Dietary intake information was collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Prudent and Western dietary patterns extracted via principal component analysis. Food cost was calculated based on Korean government data and market prices. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association of daily total, prudent, and Western food cost per calorie with obesity.
RESULTS
Men in the highest total food cost quintile had 15% higher odds of obesity, after adjusting for demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors (adjusted odds ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.08–1.22; P-trend < 0.001); however, this association was not clear in women (P-trend = 0.765). While both men and women showed positive associations between prudent food cost and obesity (P-trends < 0.001), the association between Western food cost and obesity was only significant in men (P-trend < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
In countries in which consumption of Western foods is associated with higher food costs, higher food costs are associated with an increased risk of obesity; however, this association differs between men and women.

Keyword

Obesity; diet; healthy; diet; Western; cohort studies; Asian

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Adjusted association for obesity according to the food cost per calorie, stratified by gender. The histogram in gray shows the distribution of total daily food cost (/1,000 kcal, US$). The ORs were adjusted for age, sex, education level, employment status, marital status, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol use, total energy intake, and monthly household income. (A) Total food cost. (B) Prudent food cost. (C) Western food cost.

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