Abstract

In order to investigate the effects of frequent eating-out and breakfast skipping of working men on body mass index and nutrients intake status, working male adults aged 20 or over were selected (n = 1883) from the data of 2001 Korea national health and nutrition survey. The subjects were divided into 4 groups according to the eating-out frequency(high: once or more daily, low: less than once daily) and breakfast eating or not. Four groups were high eating-out with breakfast eating (n = 609), high eating-out with breakfast skipping (n = 192), low eating-out with breakfast eating (n = 877), and low eatingout with breakfast skipping (n = 205). High eating-out group showed higher body mass index (BMI) than low eating-out group, but the difference of BMI was disappeared when adjusted with age, residence region and family income. However high eating-out group in case of breakfast eating, compared with the low eating-out, showed higher intakes or densities of energy, fat, fat-energy% and higher ratio of energy-fat overintake, and also showed higher mean nutritional adequacy ratio and lower ratio of nutrients intake deficiency. Calcium, iron, vitamin A and C intakes were not affected by eating-out frequency, but were lowered by breakfast skipping. Breakfast skipping also decreased intake frequency of unprocessed cereals and increased those of ramyon and carbonated and alcoholic beverages. From the results frequent eating-out with breakfast eating caused increased intakes of energy and fat, but did not cause BMI increase. Breakfast skipping, but not eating-out, had negative influences on mineral and vitamin intakes. Accordingly good eating-out as well as breakfast eating should be exceedingly emphasized at nutrition education for the working males.

• Keywords: working male adults; eating-out frequency; breakfast skipping; body mass index; nutrients intake