Nutritional Quality of Korean Adults' Consumption of Lunch Prepared at Home, Commercial Places, and Institutions: Analysis of the Data from the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey

ABSTRACT

This study compared the nutritional quality of Korean adults's consumption of lunch prepared at home, commercial places, and institutions. The one day food intake data collected via 24-hour recall in the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey were analyzed. Individuals with 19 . 64 years of age were selected (n = 5,756). Sampling weights in the Survey were used to generate nationally representative estimates. Lunch was categorized into three groups according to the place where the lunch was prepared: home, commercial places, and institutions such as schools and work places. Comparison among the three groups was made for 19 . 39 years old men (n = 1,387) and women (n = 1,572) and 40 . 64 years old men (n = 1,364) and women (1,433), respectively. The lunch prepared away from home contained more calories. The lunch prepared commercially was higher in calories percentages from fat than that prepared either at home or at institutions. Across the age and gender groups, lunch prepared at home contribute a high level of sodium intake. Among individuals with 40 . 64 years of age, but not those with 19 . 39 years of age, lunch prepared commercially was as sodium dense as that prepared at home. Among individuals with 19 . 39 years of age, the sodium density of lunch prepared commercially was about the same as that prepared at institutional food service of which the menus were planned by dieticians. Such differences in nutritional quality among meals prepared at home, commercial places, and institutions should be considered and applied for the content development of nutrition education and policy.