Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to examine associations between marital status and vegetable intake.
Methods
Data were from participants 30 years and over (n = 18,190) in the 2007~2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Marital status was divided into three groups: married, never married, and separated/divorced/widowed. Vegetable intake was estimated from the twenty-four hour dietary recall. Data were analyzed using a chi-square test, analysis of covariance, least squares means, and logistic regression.
Results
Married respondents tend to consume more vegetables, including kimchi, than all other marital status groups. Vegetable intake, excluding kimchi, was lowest among 30~64 year-old respondents who had never married. Elderly men (65 years and older) who were never married/separated/divorced/widowed had significantly lower vegetable intake than elderly men who were married (p = 0.0008). When considering the Korean dietary reference intake (KDRIs), elderly men who were never married/separated/divorced/widowed, compared with elderly men who were married, had a significantly higher odds ratio for consuming fewer vegetables than the KDRIs (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.13~2.37).
Conclusion
The findings of this study indicate that marital status might influence vegetable intake and the probability of consuming fewer vegetables than the KDRIs. In particular, being never married/separated/divorced/widowed might adversely affect vegetable consumption among elderly men, although assessing the causal effect of marital status from this cross-sectional study is difficult.
Figures and Tables
Table 2
Abbreviations: KDRIs, Korean dietary reference intakes; Spe, Seperated; Div, Divorced; Wid, Widowed; OR, Odds ratios; CI, Confidence interval
1) KDRIs: 7 servings for 19-64 year-old men, women and ≥ 65-year-old men; 5 servings for ≥ 65-year-old women 2) Adjusted for household income, education, occupation, BMI, smoking status, subjective health status, energy intake, and occupation 3) ≥ 65 y: comparison between married and never married/sep/div/wid
References
1. Chun SS. A study on the indices of life expectancy by marital status. J Korean Public Health Assoc. 1999; 25(1):83–99.
2. Son JY, Han GH. The effects of marital status on health among older adults: the mediating effects of economic resources and social networks. Korean J Fam Welf. 2012; 35:5–40.
3. Park K. Marital status effects on sex-specific mortality: a theoretical integration. Korean J Sociol. 1994; 28:117–137.
4. Kaplan RM, Kronick RG. Marital status and longevity in the United States population. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2006; 60(9):760–765.
5. Dupre ME, Beck AN, Meadows SO. Marital trajectories and mortality among US adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2009; 170(5):546–555.
6. Choi H, Marks NF. Socioeconomic status, marital status continuity and change, marital conflict, and mortality. J Aging Health. 2011; 23(4):714–742.
7. Jang SN, Kawachi I, Chang J, Boo K, Shin HG, Lee H, Cho SI. Marital status, gender, and depression: analysis of the baseline survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA). Soc Sci Med. 2009; 69(11):1608–1615.
8. Clavarino A, Hayatbakhsh MR, Williams GM, Bor W, O'Callaghan M, Najman JM. Depression following marital problems: different impacts on mothers and their children? A 21-year prospective study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2011; 46(9):833–841.
9. Gabriel B, Beach SR, Bodenmann G. Depression, marital satisfaction and communication in couples: investigating gender differences. Behav Ther. 2010; 41(3):306–316.
10. Jeon GS, Lee JY. Impact of marital status on depression and suicidal ideation among Korean adults: focused on the difference by age and sex. Korean J Health Serv Manag. 2011; 5(3):179–190.
11. Schafer RB, Schafer E, Dunbar M, Keith PM. Marital food interaction and dietary behavior. Soc Sci Med. 1999; 48(6):787–796.
12. Haapala I, Prättälä R, Patja K, Männikkö R, Hassinen M, Komulainen P, Rauramaa R. Age, marital status and changes in dietary habits in later life: a 21-year follow-up among Finnish women. Public Health Nutr. 2012; 15(7):1174–1181.
13. Eng PM, Kawachi I, Fitzmaurice G, Rimm EB. Effects of marital transitions on changes in dietary and other health behaviours in US male health professionals. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005; 59(1):56–62.
14. Lee S, Cho E, Grodstein F, Kawachi I, Hu FB, Colditz GA. Effects of marital transitions on changes in dietary and other health behaviours in US women. Int J Epidemiol. 2005; 34(1):69–78.
15. Hughes ME, Waite LJ. Marital biography and health at mid-life. J Health Soc Behav. 2009; 50(3):344–358.
16. Liu H, Umberson DJ. The times they are a changin': marital status and health differentials from 1972 to 2003. J Health Soc Behav. 2008; 49(3):239–253.
17. Shahar DR, Schultz R, Shahar A, Wing RR. The effect of widowhood on weight change, dietary intake, and eating behavior in the elderly population. J Aging Health. 2001; 13(2):189–199.
18. Håkansson K, Rovio S, Helkala EL, Vilska AR, Winblad B, Soininen H, Nissinen A, Mohammed AH, Kivipelto M. Association between mid-life marital status and cognitive function in later life: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2009; 339:b2462.
19. Hanson KL, Sobal J, Frongillo EA. Gender and marital status clarify associations between food insecurity and body weight. J Nutr. 2007; 137(6):1460–1465.
20. Lindström M. Marital status, social capital, material conditions and self-rated health: a population-based study. Health Policy. 2009; 93(2-3):172–179.
21. Yim HJ, Park HA, Kang JH, Kim KW, Cho YG, Hur YI, Sung EJ. Marital status and health behaviors in middle-aged Korean adults: from the 2007-2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Korean J Health Promot. 2012; 12(4):178–186.
22. Ministry of Health and Welfare (KR). Dietary guideline for Korean. Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare;2009.
23. Bazzano LA, He J, Ogden LG, Loria CM, Vupputuri S, Myers L, Whelton PK. Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of cardiovascular disease in US adults: the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002; 76(1):93–99.
24. Lee SY, Choi KY, Kim MK, Kim KM, Lee JH, Meng KH, Lee WC. The relationship between intake of vegetables and fruits and colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Korean J Gastroenterol. 2005; 45(1):23–33.
25. Boggs DA, Palmer JR, Wise LA, Spiegelman D, Stampfer MJ, Adams-Campbell LL, Rosenberg L. Fruit and vegetable intake in relation to risk of breast cancer in the Black Women's Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2010; 172(11):1268–1279.
26. Kwon JH, Shim JE, Park MK, Paik HY. Evaluation of fruits and vegetables intake for prevention of chronic disease in Korean adults aged 30 years and over: using the Third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES III), 2005. Korean J Nutr. 2009; 42(2):146–157.
27. Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea Health Statistics 2010: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-1). Cheongwon: Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;2011.
28. The Korean Nutrition Society. Dietary reference intakes for Koreans. 1st revision. Seoul: The Korean Nutrition Society;2010.
29. Jung HJ. Analysis of dietary factors related to metabolic syndrome among Koreans: based on adherence to the Korean food guidance system [dissertation]. Seoul: Seoul National University;2012.
30. Billson H, Pryer JA, Nichols R. Variation in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in Britain. An analysis from the dietary and nutritional survey of British adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999; 53(12):946–952.
31. Pollard J, Greenwood D, Kirk S, Cade J. Lifestyle factors affecting fruit and vegetable consumption in the UK women's cohort study. Appetite. 2001; 37(1):71–79.
32. Riediger ND, Moghadasian MH. Patterns of fruit and vegetable consumption and the influence of sex, age and socio-demographic factors among Canadian elderly. J Am Coll Nutr. 2008; 27(2):306–313.
33. Li Y, Li D, Ma CY, Liu CY, Hui D, Wen ZM, Peng LP. Consumption of, and factors influencing consumption of, fruit and vegetables among elderly Chinese people. Nutrition. 2012; 28(5):504–508.
34. Satheannoppakao W, Aekplakorn W, Pradipasen M. Fruit and vegetable consumption and its recommended intake associated with sociodemographic factors: Thailand National Health Examination Survey III. Public Health Nutr. 2009; 12(11):2192–2198.
35. Choe JS, Ji SM, Paik HY, Hong SM. A study on the eating habits and dietary consciousness of adults in urban area. J Korean Soc Food Sci Nutr. 2003; 32(7):1132–1146.
36. Kamphuis CB, Giskes K, de Bruijn GJ, Wendel-Vos W, Brug J, van Lenthe FJ. Environmental determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption among adults: a systematic review. Br J Nutr. 2006; 96(4):620–635.