Lifestyle Factors and Obesity among Korean Adults

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to examine whether lifestyle-related factors, such as frequency of drinking and smoking, mental stress, sleep duration, economic status, and education level, are associated with obesity (as defined given by the WHO report on Asia) in a selected sample of Korean adults. METHODS The subjects were 1,566 adults (505 men, 1,061 women) aged over 20 years who visited a public health center for medical checkups in Seoul, Korea, between November 1, 2010, and October 30, 2011. The association between lifestyle-related factors and obesity was assessed by using multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for gender, age, frequency of drinking and smoking, mental stress, sleep duration, economic status, and education level. RESULTS Only economic status and education level significantly predicted obesity; very rich people and people who completed high school, college, or higher were less likely to be obese. CONCLUSION Therefore, frequency of smoking and drinking, sleep duration, and level of stress were not associated with obesity but economic status and educational level significantly predicted obesity.