Abstract

This study was conducted to identify major dietary patterns of generally healthy Korean middle-aged women and to examine associations of the dietary patterns with socio-demographic, psychological, and physical characteristics. Data were drawn from the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), which is an ongoing national surveillance system. Healthy female subjects aged 40-64 years and provided the health interview examination and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data were included. We conducted factor analysis based on daily mean intake frequency of 26 food groups and identified 3 major dietary patterns, healthy, convenient, and alcoholanimal. The healthy pattern was characterized by higher intakes of fish, seafood, poultry, mushroom, seaweed, vegetable, tomato, potato, and fruit, the convenient pattern by processed meat and fish, ramen, noodle and rice cake, sweet snack, egg, bread, and fast food, and the alcohol-animal pattern by alcohol, poultry, meat, and fish. The healthy pattern was significantly related with higher socio-economic status, more stable family structure, healthier mentality, and sounder status of anthropometric and biochemical variables. Those with higher factor scores for the convenience pattern were found to be younger and having higher socio-economic status, higher subjective levels of health, and lower subjective levels of worry on health. Several physical characteristics significantly improved as the levels of the convenience pattern increased. The alcohol-animal pattern was significantly associated with several socio-demographic characteristics including a low education level, a young age, a small family size, and blue-collar jobs. Public health policy makers can utilize the study findings to select prior target populations with higher needs and to tailor dietary behavioral messages to lower chronic disease risks among Korean middle-aged women.

• Keywords: dietary pattern; socio-demographic; psychological; physical; middle-aged women