Use of workplace foodservices is associated with reduced meal skipping in Korean adult workers: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Abstract

Skipping meals is a poor eating behaviour known to result in poor diet quality and health outcomes. Nevertheless, it has become increasingly common over the past few decades in many countries. This study aimed to examine the potential association between the use of workplace foodservices and skipping meals among Korean adult workers using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016–2018, a nationwide cross-sectional survey of a representative Korean population. A total of 5,137 workers aged 20–64 years were included. Dietary assessment was conducted using a 24-hour dietary recall. In total, 41.2% participants skipped one meal or more per day. The percentage of workers who skipped meals was 43.1±1.0% among participants who did not use workplace foodservices compared to 31.8±1.9% among those who did (P<0.01). Skipping meals was significantly associated with not using workplace foodservices, after adjusting for other confounders including sociodemographic variables, health-related variables, and meal procurement source (odds ratio = 3.4; 95% confidence interval = 2.6–4.4; P<0.01). We found a significant association between using workplace foodservices and reduced skipping meals in Korean adult workers. This study suggests the importance of the provision of workplace foodservices for workers to potentially reduce poor eating behaviours such as skipping meals.

Eating behavior among remote working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Results of this study also revealed respondents with a monthly household income of RM 5,000–6,999 were more prevalent to meal skipping than those respondents with lesser monthly household income (RM 3,000–4,999). This observation is in contrast with the findings of the KNHANES, where employees with lower household incomes were more likely to skip meals (Shin and Kim, 2020). Unlike the KNHANES, which is done in the non-COVID-19 pandemic period, meal skipping in the median monthly household income group may be due to long hours of screen-time meetings.…”

“…In Table 5, remote working adults aged 36 years and above were less likely to meal skipping than the younger ones (18–25 years old). Data from the Korean National and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) demonstrated that younger employees were prone to skip at least one meal a day (Shin and Kim, 2020). Similar findings were also observed in the ChooseWell 365 trial conducted in the USA, where younger hospital employees were more likely to skip meals (McCurley et al , 2022).…”

Dietary Practices of Health Professionals during Working Hours in a Tertiary Referral Teaching Hospital In Ghana: A Neglected Vulnerable Group

“…Another implication of having to access lunch meals from locations far from the hospital rather than a ready source of workplace foodservice is the tendency to facilitate unhealthy eating practices such as skipping meals during working hours as found in this study population where more than half skipped lunch at least once in the week. This finding is confirmed by a related study where skipping of meals was significantly associated with not having access to workplace foodservices in a Korean adult workers population, after adjusting for all confounding factors [44]. Another implication of skipping lunch meals probably to attend to emergencies or due to work pressure demands is its tendency to result in reducing positive moods, increasing stress and hunger levels while working [45].…”

The Impact of WFH on Eating Habits

“…This study investigates the relationship between working from home or the office during the COVID-19 pandemic and the eating habits of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University faculty members in Saudi Arabia. The research aims to determine the quality and quantity of meals consumed during the pandemic and examine the prevalence of obesity among faculty members [18][19][20].…”