Use of workplace foodservices is associated with reduced meal skipping in Korean adult workers: A nationwide cross-sectional study
Abstract Background: Skipping meals is a poor eating behaviour known to result in poor diet quality and health outcomes. Nevertheless, it has become increasingly common over a 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.Methods: We used 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 6,845 workers aged 20–64 years were included. Dietary assessment was conducted using a 24-hour dietary recall.Results: In total, 40.9% of participants skipped one meal or more per day. The percentage of workers who skipped meals was 42.9±0.8% among the participants who did not use workplace foodservices, compared to 30.9±1.7% 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=3.3; 95% confidence interval=2.7-4.0; P<0.01).Conclusions: We found a significant association between using workplace foodservices and skipping meals in Korean adult workers. This study suggests the importance of implementing dietary interventions, such as the provision of workplace foodservices for workers, to potentially reduce poor eating behaviours such as skipping meals.