Snack Consumption Patterns and Its Nutritional Significance in Korean Elderly Population: from the 2013-2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
- Eun Byul Cho, Hyun Ah Park, Jae-Heon Kang, Kyoungwoo Kim, Young Gyu Cho, Dong-Hyun Choi
- Received January 10, 2017 Accepted June 02, 2017
- ABSTRACT
-
- Background:
- This study aims to evaluate the importance of snacks to a balanced diet by assessing snack consumption patterns and factors associated with eating snacks of Korean elders of 60 years or more.
- Methods:
- This analysis is based on participants from the 2013-2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Meal or snack consumption was based on a 24 hours recall data, and the adequacy of each nutrient intake was based on the Dietary Reference Intakes by the Korea Nutrition Society. The cutoff for snack consumption valued as meaningful was more than 200 kcal/day of snack energy intake.
- Results:
- Korean male elders of age 60 years or more are consuming 333.6±11.1 kcal of snack and 271.7±7.4 kcal for females. When consumed together with meals, snack consumption increased the adequacy of all nutrients intake, except sodium. Based on energy contribution, male Korean elders are consuming snack food group in order of beverage and alcohols, grains, and fruits, while for females the order was grains, fruits, and dairy. Older age (men and women), joblessness (men), and chronic disease (women) were positively associated with having snack of 200 kcal or more per day, whereas ‘living with a partner (men)’, alcohol intake frequency of more than twice per week (men), and ‘doing regular aerobic physical activity (women)’ showed negative association.
- Conclusions:
- Snack consumption of Korean elders contributed to more adequate nutritional status, but improvement of food groups is needed because they were mainly concentrated on grains.
Figure 1.
Adequacy of nutrients intake from snacks and meals of Korean elderly population. (A) Male, (B) female.

Table 1.
General characteristics of study population
Proportion (SE) | Male | Female | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Unweighted, n | 1,484 | 2,028 | 3,512 |
Age (mean [SE]), y | 70.0 (0.2) | 71.6 (0.4) | 70.1 (0.2) |
60s | 52.6 (1.5) | 49.5 (1.5) | 50.8 (1.2) |
70s | 38.5 (1.4) | 38.2 (1.3) | 38.3 (1.0) |
80+ | 8.9 (0.7) | 12.3 (0.8) | 10.8 (0.6) |
Household income | |||
Lower class | 37.5 (1.6) | 46.1 (1.6) | 42.3 (1.4) |
Lower middle class | 28.3 (1.4) | 27.0 (1.3) | 27.5 (1.1) |
Upper middle class | 19.3 (1.2) | 15.1 (1.0) | 17.0 (0.9) |
Upper classs | 14.9 (1.2) | 11.8 (1.1.) | 13.2 (1.0) |
Education, y | |||
≤9 10-12 | 59.5 (1.6) 24.9 (1.3) | 83.5 (1.2) 11.7 (0.9) | 73.0 (1.2) 17.5 (0.8) |
≥13 | 15.6 (1.3) | 4.8 (0.6) | 9.5 (0.8) |
Employed | 39.4 (1.6) | 25.4 (1.2) | 31.5 (1.1) |
Family type | |||
Living alone | 7.4 (0.7) | 22.2 (1.0) | 15.7 (0.8) |
Living with partner | 49.4 (1.6) | 29.7 (1.1) | 38.2 (1.2) |
Othersa | 43.2 (1.6) | 48.2 (1.3) | 46.0 (1.3) |
Having chronic diseaseb | 61.3 (1.5) | 74.8 (1.2) | 68.9 (1.0) |
Body mass index (mean [SE]) | |||
Underweight/normal | 44.8 (1.5) | 35.6 (1.3) | 39.6(1.0) |
Overweight | 26.8 (1.2) | 24.6 (1.1) | 25.6 (0.8) |
Obese | 28.5 (1.3) | 39.5 (1.3) | 34.7 (0.9) |
On a therapeutic diet Current smoker | 20.0 (1.1) 23.9 (1.3) | 23.2 (1.2) 2.9 (0.4) | 21.8 (0.9) 12.0 (0.6) |
Alcohol intake frequency per week | |||
0 | 30.7 (1.3) | 60.8 (1.3) | 47.7 (1.0) |
1 | 38.7 (1.5) | 34.2 (1.2) | 36.2 (1.0) |
≥2 | 30.5 (1.4) | 5.0 (0.6) | 16.1 (0.8) |
Regular aerobic activityc doers | 51.2 (2.4) | 38.1 (2.3) | 44.0 (1.8) |
Abbreviation: SE, standard error. Values are presented as mean or proportion (standard error) unless otherwise indicated.
Table 2.
Nutrients intake from snacks and meals of Korean elderly population
Table 3.
Top 5 snack food groups according to their contribution to energy intake of Korean elderly male population
Ranks | Food groupa (kcal±SE) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |
Male total | Drinks or alcohols (87.9±5.2) | Grains (67.0±5.4) | Fruits (27.5±2.4) | Dairy foods (32.5±2.8) | Sugars (20.6±1.6) |
Age, y | |||||
60s | Drinks or alcohols (107.3±9.2) | Grains (71.8±7.3) | Fruits (63.0±4.2) | Dairy foods (32.1±3.3) | Potatoes (19.6±4.1) |
70s | Drinks or alcohols (70.0±5.6) | Grains (63.5±9.0) | Fruits (55.1±5.0) | Dairy foods (22.9±3.0) | Sugars (22.4±3.1) |
80+ | Grains (53.4±12.9) | Drinks or alcohols (51.3±8.1) | Fruits (44.4±6.4) | Sugars (21.0±4.4) | Dairy foods (19.8±5.0) |
Household income | |||||
Lower | Drinks or alcohols (100.6±11.0) | Grains (63.5±7.2) | Fruits (49.9±4.0) | Dairy foods (21.6±3.0) | Sugars (14.7±2.9) |
Lower middle | Grains (77.8±13.9) | Drinks or alcohols (67.7±6.6) | Fruits (61.5±5.7) | Dairy foods (29.3±4.2) | Sugars (24.0±4.0) |
Upper middle | Drinks or alcohols (103.7±12.0) | Fruits (58.3±7.1) | Grains (52.9±7.7) | Dairy foods (28.8±4.5) | Sugars (24.2±3.6) |
Upper | Drinks or alcohols (74.2±9.7) | Fruits (73.3±7.5) | Grains (73.6±13.0) | Dairy foods (37.0±5.7) | Potatoes (28.3±8.1) |
Education, y | |||||
≤9 | Drinks or alcohols (93.3±6.4) | Grains (62.7±6.4) | Fruits (53.1±3.8) | Dairy foods (26.6±3.4) | Sugars (19.2±1.6) |
10-12 | Grains | Drinks or alcohols | Fruits | Dairy foods | Sugars |
(90.8±14.2) | (87.3±9.1) | (56.4±5.1) | (24.8±3.3) | (22.6±4.7) | |
≥13 | Fruits (80.9±9.0) | Drinks or alcohols (68.4±13.3) | Grains (45.2±7.7) | Dairy foods (35.1±5.9) | Sugars (22.8±4.0) |
Body mass index | |||||
Under/normal | Drinks or alcohols (88.8±7.1) | Grains (61.9±6.5) | Fruits (53.4±4.1) | Dairy foods (28.3±3.5) | Sugars (21.6±2.9) |
Overweight | Drinks or alcohols (85.9±10.2) | Fruits (64.5±5.8) | Grains (61.6±8.2) | Dairy foods (27.4±4.0) | Sugars (20.6±2.7) |
Obese | Drinks or alcohols (88.5±9.4) | Grains (80.2±14.1) | Fruits (60.2±5.1) | Dairy foods (26.2±3.6) | Sugars (20.0±2.2) |
Table 4.
Top 5 snack food groups according to their contribution to energy intake of Korean elderly female population
Ranks | Food groupa (kcal±SE) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |
Female total | Grains (67.7±4.4) | Fruits (65.4±2.8) | Dairy foods (33.5±1.9) | Drinks or alcohols (28.8±1.5) | Potatoes (23.2±2.5) |
Age, y | |||||
60s | Grains (81.1±6.2) | Fruits (78.5±4.1) | Dairy foods (40.2±3.0) | Drinks or alcohols (29.2±2.0) | Potatoes (27.9±4.1) |
70s | Grains (60.9±7.5) | Fruits (54.6±3.5) | Dairy foods (28.9±2.5) | Drinks or alcohols (28.6±2.2) | Potatoes (19.2±3.2) |
80+ Household income | Fruits (46.6±8.2) | Grains (35.2±5.6) | Drinks or alcohols (27.8±5.9) | Dairy foods (21.0±3.3) | Potatoes (17.1±3.9) |
Lower | Grains (59.6±5.8) | Fruits (54.6±3.9) | Dairy foods (28.4±2.4) | Drinks or alcohols (28.2±2.4) | Potatoes (20.0±2.7) |
Lower middle | Grains (71.1±9.5) | Fruits (70.1±4.7) | Dairy foods (33.8±3.3) | Drinks or alcohols (29.7±2.5) | Potatoes (27.8±5.7) |
Upper middle | Fruits (81.3±6.3) | Grains (77.9±10.4) | Dairy foods (36.2±6.0) | Drinks or alcohols (31.2±3.5) | Potatoes (18.5±6.3) |
Upper | Grains (78.5±12.0) | Fruits (76.7±7.5) | Dairy foods (49.5±6.5) | Potatoes (31.6±8.8) | Drinks or alcohols (26.4±3.6) |
Education, y | |||||
≤9 10-12 | Grains (62.4±4.5) Grains (95.1±15.2) | Fruits (62.2±3.1) Fruits (83.9±8.1) | Dairy foods (31.8±2.0) Dairy foods (46.8±6.9) | Drinks or alcohols (29.7±3.1) Drinks or alcohols (24.7±8.1) | Potatoes (24.4±2.9) Nuts (20.4±4.2) |
≥13 | Grains (93.1±30.8) | Fruits (77.1±11.0) | Dairy foods (30.5±8.0) | Drinks or alcohols (23.2±3.8) | Nuts (20.0±11.6) |
Body mass index | |||||
Under/normal | Grains (62.1±5.3) | Fruits (60.6±4.8) | Dairy foods (32.1±2.5) | Drinks or alcohols (25.6±2.5) | Potatoes (21.1±5.3) |
Overweight | Fruits (68.3±5.2) | Grains (66.5±8.7) | Dairy foods (37.1±3.8) | Drinks or alcohols (33.6±2.9) | Potatoes (27.6±5.8) |
Obese | Grains (73.6±7.5) | Fruits (68.1±4.5) | Dairy foods (32.4±3.1) | Drinks or alcohols (28.8±2.2) | Potatoes (22.5±3.9) |
Table 5.
Proportion of snackers according to sociodemographic and health behavioral characteristics and multivariate modeling for snacking habit among Korean elderly population
Male | Female | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Proportion (SE) of snackersb | OR (95% CI)a | Proportion (SE) of snackersb | OR (95% CI)a | |
Total | 44.5 (1.7) | 44.5 (1.7) | ||
Agea, y | ||||
60s | 39.8 (2.1) | Referent | 44.4 (1.7) | Referent |
70s | 48.2 (2.3) | 1.74 (1.17-2.58) | 55.6 (2.1) | 1.24 (0.93-1.63) |
80+ | 55.9 (4.9) | 2.01 (1.00-4.04) | 64.1 (3.2) | 3.39 (1.69-6.79) |
Household incomea | ||||
Lower | 45.5 (2.5) | Referent | 56.3 (1.9) | Referent |
Lower middle | 47.5 (2.8) | 1.33 (0.80-2.22) | 50.0 (2.5) | 1.03 (0.70-1.53) |
Upper middle | 43.5 (3.6) | 1.45 (0.81-2.57) | 46.1 (3.4) | 0.76 (0.47-1.23) |
Upper | 37.4 (3.8) | 1.22 (0.65-2.30) | 40.0 (4.0) | 0.59 (0.34-1.04) |
Educationa, y | ||||
≤9 | 45.6 (2.1) | Referent | 52.9 (1.4) | Referent |
10-12 | 41.9 (3.0) | 0.73 (0.47-1.05) | 39.2 (3.5) | 0.93 (0.60-1.46) |
≥13 | 44.2 (3.6) | 0.99 (0.63-1.55) | 50.0 (6.0) | 1.49 (0.78-2.82) |
Employeda | ||||
Yes | 35.3 (2.2) | Referent | 47.4 (2.5) | Referent |
No | 50.4 (2.1) | 1.69 (1.14-2.50) | 52.4 (1.5) | 1.07 (0.76-1.50) |
Family typea | ||||
Living alone | 48.8 (4.6) | Referent | 56.8 (2.3) | Referent |
Living with partner | 41.0 (2.2) | 0.50 (0.25-0.98) | 49.4 (2.1) | 0.91 (0.61-1.34) |
Othersc | 47.6 (2.7) | 0.72 (0.35-1.50) | 49.6 (2.2) | 0.99 (0.63-1.60) |
Chronic diseased | ||||
No | 46.2 (2.4) | Referent | 48.3 (2.8) | Referent |
Yes | 43.4 (2.0) | 1.03 (0.71-1.51) | 52.1 (1.4) | 1.68 (1.10-2.58) |
Body mass index | ||||
Under/normal | 45.8 (2.1) | Referent | 52.1 (2.3) | Referent |
Overweight | 43.8 (3.0) | 0.88 (0.57-1.34) | 52.9 (2.3) | 0.92 (0.61-1.41) |
Obese | 42.9 (2.9) | 0.70 (0.46-1.07) | 49.2 (2.1) | 0.96 (0.66-1.39) |
Therapeutic diet | ||||
Yes | 41.1 (3.3) | Referent | 45.9 (2.6) | Referent |
No | 45.3 (1.8) | 1.48 (0.88-2.15) | 52.7 (1.5) | 1.13 (0.76-1.70) |
Smoking | ||||
Smoker | 45.1 (3.1) | Referent | 63.7 (6.5) | Referent |
Nonsmoker | 44.3 (1.9) | 0.96 (0.62-1.48) | 50.8 (1.4) | 0.31 (0.09-1.06) |
Alcohol intake frequency per week | ||||
0 | 47.6 (2.9) | Referent | 54.5 (1.7) | Referent |
1 | 47.1 (2.4) | 0.87 (0.55-1.36) | 45.9 (2.3) | 0.75 (0.52-1.10) |
≥2 | 38.0 (2.6) | 0.62 (0.40-0.97) | 46.6 (5.6) | 0.61 (0.33-1.15) |
Regular aerobic activity doerse | ||||
No | 40.0 (3.2) | Referent | 53.4 (2.5) | Referent |
Yes | 41.3 (2.9) | 1.16 (0.81-1.65) | 37.8 (3.1) | 0.59 (0.42-0.84) |
aOR and 95% CI were estimated by multivariate logistic regression modelling after controlling all other variables included in the table.
bSnackers are people who responded that they consume more than 200 kcal of snacks toward 24 hours recall diet survey.
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