SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) -If South Koreans were graded on their eating habits, they would earn a C, with young adults dragging down the national score as they skipped breakfast and fell short on fruit and whole grains, government data showed Tuesday.
South Korean adults scored an average 58.6 out of 100 on the Korean Healthy Eating Index for 2022–2024, little changed from the 58.9 recorded in 2019–2021, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
The Korean Healthy Eating Index, or KHEI, for 2022–2024 was nearly unchanged from the 58.9 recorded in 2019–2021, according to an analysis released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
The results were based on nutrition data from 16,586 adults aged 19 and older who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2022 and 2024. A higher score indicates closer adherence to the country’s dietary guidelines.
The index comprises 14 components. Eight evaluate the consumption of recommended foods and eating habits, including breakfast, mixed grains, fruit, vegetables, protein foods and dairy products. Three assess the moderation of sodium, saturated fat and sugar, while the remaining three measure the balance of carbohydrate, fat and overall energy intake.
Men scored 57.6, two points below women’s 59.6. The disparity was more pronounced by age, with the score increasing steadily among older groups.
People aged 19 to 29 received an average score of 50.3, followed by 52.8 among those in their 30s. The figure rose to 56.7 for people in their 40s, 60.5 for those in their 50s and 65.2 for those in their 60s. Adults aged 70 and older recorded the highest score at 66.1.
Young adults performed particularly poorly in categories related to eating breakfast and consuming mixed grains and fruit.
People in their 20s received just 3.9 out of 10 for breakfast consumption and 1.1 out of five for mixed-grain intake. Their total-fruit score was one out of five, while their fresh-fruit score was 1.3.
Those in their 30s recorded similarly low scores, receiving 4.3 for breakfast, 1.1 for mixed grains and 1.2 for total fruit.
The two youngest age groups also received less than half of the available points in the category measuring whether saturated fat remained within the recommended share of total energy intake.
Across the entire adult population, mixed grains, total fruit, fresh fruit and milk and dairy products were identified as the areas most in need of improvement. When individual components were converted to a 100-point scale, all four categories scored below 50.
Consumption of meat, fish, eggs and beans, along with sodium moderation, received relatively high scores of more than 70.
Dietary weaknesses differed among older adults. People aged 60 and above generally received the highest overall scores but performed poorly on dairy consumption and the balance of energy obtained from carbohydrates. Adults aged 70 and older received only 2.6 out of 10 for milk and dairy products, the lowest score among all age groups.
“Our adult healthy eating score has remained largely unchanged in recent years, but the consumption of mixed grains, fruit, and milk and dairy products remains insufficient and needs improvement,” KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan said.
“Younger adults in their 20s and 30s had the lowest overall scores and also ranked lowest in most components, including breakfast, mixed grains, fruit and saturated fat intake,” Lim said. “Greater efforts are needed to maintain regular eating habits and consume a diverse range of food groups.”
The Korean findings show similarities with dietary patterns observed in the United States, although the two countries’ indices use different components and standards and therefore cannot be compared directly.
The KDCA cited U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2017–2018 showing a Healthy Eating Index-2020 score of 57 among Americans aged 19 to 59 and 61 among those aged 60 and older.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also reports that Americans aged 2 and older had an average Healthy Eating Index score of 58 out of 100, with adults aged 60 and above among the highest-scoring age groups. The agency said average American diets across the life span still failed to align fully with national dietary guidelines.
A separate U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis found that only 12.3 percent of American adults met fruit-intake recommendations in 2019, while 10 percent met vegetable-intake recommendations. Women were more likely than men to meet both targets, and adults aged 51 and older were more likely to consume the recommended amount of vegetables than younger adults.
The World Health Organization recommends that people older than 10 consume at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables each day. It also recommends obtaining carbohydrates mainly from minimally refined sources, including whole grains, vegetables, fruit and pulses.
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