How does young adults' dietary and health-related quality of life vary by food security and household income?

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the dietary and health-related quality of life of young adults according to their household income and food security status.

Methods: To conduct this study, 10,224 young adults aged 19-34 years who participated in the 2008-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were selected. Subjects were categorized into four groups based on household income and food security: 'food secure and high income,' 'food insecure and high income,' 'food secure and low income,' and 'food insecure and low income'. General characteristics, daily diet, and dietary quality were compared among the four groups.

Results: The proportion of participants consuming a daily diet below the estimated average requirements for protein, vitamins A, B₁, and B₂, niacin, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, and iron increased in the 'food insecure and low income' group. Among the most commonly consumed foods, instant noodles and Sprite ranked relatively high in the 'food insecure and low income' group, while apples and beef ranked relatively high in the 'food secure and high income' group. The food insecure and low income group exhibited significantly increased rates of mobility problems [OR = 1.55(95% CI = 1.05-2.29)] and anxiety/depression [OR = 1.33(95% CI = 1.07-1.64)] in comparison with the food secure and high income group.

Conclusion: Food insecurity was positively associated with poor diet quality and was associated with health-related quality of life, mobility, and anxiety/depression, especially among young adults.

Keywords: Euro Quality of Life-Five Dimensions (EQ-5D); Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES); food security; household income; young adults.

Figure 1

Result of multiple correspondence analysis for relationship among food security, household income, and the EQ-5D components. FS, food security. Food secure: the family was able to consume sufficient quantity of food and a diverse range of food types. Low food secure: the family was able to consume sufficient quantity of food yet lacked the diversity of food types. Very low food secure: the family experienced financial difficulties, leading to a lack of sufficient food. EQ5D components are having some or a lot of problems with mobility, self-care, usual activity, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression.