Perceptions and practices of commensality and solo-eating among Korean and Japanese university students: A cross-cultural analysis

Alone but together: Cloud-based commensality benefits physical and mental health

Cloud-based commensality refers to an eating scenario in which people are eating and videoconferencing with remote co-diners. We report two experiments designed to investigate whether cloud-based commensality can exert a positive effect on individuals' physical and mental health. In Experiment 1, the participants were asked to rate their expectations concerning their feelings when eating in the context of cloud-based commensality or solitary eating and to make food choices in each eating scenario. In Experiment 2, romantic couples were recruited to have meals in different eating scenarios in the laboratory and were asked to rate their emotions and close relationships. The results of the two experiments revealed that when engaging in cloud-based commensality, participants reduced their intake of meat dishes but did not increase their choices of meat dishes compared to solitary eating. Moreover, the results suggest that cloud-based commensality can alleviate negative feelings and promote positive emotions during periods of quarantine or non-quarantine and enhance close relationships for romantic couples. These findings demonstrate that cloud-based commensality is beneficial for individuals' physical and mental health and provide practical implications for utilizing social eating to promote healthy eating.

Public Perception Before and After COVID-19 Vaccine Pass for the Unvaccinated to Eat Alone: Social Media Data Analytics

This study was conducted to compare the trends of public perception in South Korea about the vaccine pass requiring the unvaccinated to eat alone during the COVID-19 crisis. Data were collected via Text mining; frequency, association, and sentiment analysis using the social big data analysis service, (known as "Some-Trend"), 2 months before and after December 16, 2021, when the vaccine pass was announced. The total number of search results was 4899 occurrences of the keywords using "eating alone" and "Hon-bab" (Korean abbreviation for eating alone). During the week of December 16, the frequency was the highest (770 occurrences). Compared to the weeks before the announcement sentiment analysis shows that words including "Reject," "Discrimination," and "Uncomfortable," among others, either newly appeared or increased in frequency. And also, the percentage of positive words decreased from 54.5% to 34% and that of negative words increased from 30.2% to 43.3%. The introduction of the vaccine pass has raised negative public interest, particularly regarding the policy of unvaccinated people forcefully restricted to eat alone. Accordingly, this study showed that the vaccine policy had not gain positive perception of the public.

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the perception of home meals and meal-related variables: a large-scale study within the Italian population during the acute phase of the pandemic

Italy was the first European country struck by the COVID-19 epidemic and experienced a national lockdown. This study explored the effect of lockdown on the perception of any meals prepared and/or conducted at home (home meals) and investigated which variables played a role in this. A group of Italians (n=3,060) not suspected/diagnosed as having COVID-19 (18-91 years old; 33% males) completed an online survey during the first lockdown (April 2020). Liking for home meals either increased (51% of the population) or did not vary (43%), while it decreased for only 6% of respondents. Total meal intake similarly either increased (51%) or remained unchanged (33%). Core variables describing meal perception (Liking for meal, Pleasure in meal preparation, Meal duration, Meal Time, Overall food intake, Snack intake) were positively associated with each other. Two clusters with different perceptions of home meals were found, characterised by an increased appreciation (Cl1, 61%) and an unchanged appreciation (Cl2, 39%), respectively. In the acute phase of lockdown, increased meal pleasure was associated with home togetherness (not living alone), cooking with others more often, having high cooking dynamism (use of different kitchen tools, engaging in online food-related activities like using online recipe/website for cooking, use of ready-to-eat meal delivery), and being young, a student or a worker (Cl1). Conversely, Cl2 showed an unchanged meal pleasure, and it was mostly associated with living alone (before and during lockdown), being elderly, retired, widowed, having a low degree of cooking-related activities and dedicating a small weekly budget to food. Variables strictly describing the meal were discussed. Lockdown did not homogenously affect the population in terms of meal pleasure, and high enjoyment of meals was related to high meal involvement. Younger subjects seemed to be more resilient and appreciated meals more due to high cooking dynamism, food-related activities and togetherness. Public health policies could consider these outputs to set up interventions that use meal-dedication activities to increase meal pleasure in vulnerable targets or in subjects experiencing poorly appreciated diets in similar future stressful situations.

Cloud-Based Commensality: Enjoy the Company of Co-diners Without Social Facilitation of Eating

Previous research has associated frequently enforced solo dining with negative consequences on psychological well-being, but the problem of having to eat alone may be solved by seeking mealtime companions in the digital space by watching an eating broadcast (i.e., Mukbang) or videoconferencing with others (i.e., cloud-based commensality). We conducted the present study to compare the consequences of Mukbang-based, cloud-based, and in-person commensality. Ninety-five healthy Chinese young adults were instructed to rate images of eating scenarios and foods. The results revealed that they expected loneliness to be reduced by Mukbang-based or in-person commensality, but they were also aware of the risks of enhancing food intake and/or being shifted toward less healthy food choices in these two scenarios. By contrast, the participants expected cloud-based commensality to provide the benefits of reducing loneliness without the health-compromising risks of increasing food intake or unhealthy eating. Collectively, these findings suggest the beliefs of the participants that cloud-based commensality can provide an "alone but together" context to balance the need for social interactions with the strategic avoidance of a social context facilitating unhealthy eating. The findings also provide some novel insights into how the application of technologies for eating behavior can be used to integrate social factors and food pleasure, and shed light on the promising future of cloud-based commensality as a combination of the strengths of solitary and commensal eating.

Associations among Solo Dining, Self-Determined Solitude, and Depression in South Korean University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Although solo dining motivated by self-determined solitude can be a positive and healthy experience for individuals, solo dining that is not motivated by self-determined solitude can trigger physical and mental health problems. This study examined the associations among solo dining, self-determined solitude, and depression in university students. Accordingly, an online survey was conducted on 372 university students. The results show that students who live alone, those in poor health, and those with more frequent solo dining experiences had higher depression scores than others. Whereas satisfaction with solo dining was high when voluntary solitude was high, female students displayed higher depression scores when they had low self-determined solitude or high non-self-determined solitude, and when they had a higher frequency of eating lunch alone, compared to their male counterparts. University undergraduates who live and dine alone, owing to non-self-determined solitude, are highly vulnerable to mental health problems, including depression. Hence, interventions that foster social connectedness and entail the identification of factors accounting for students’ non-self-determined solitude should be developed.

Dietary guidelines for Brazilian population: an analysis from the cultural and social dimensions of food

This article analyzes the social and cultural dimensions of food addressed in the dietary guidelines of the second edition of the Dietary Guideline for the Brazilian Population (DGBP) in contrast to its first edition. This is a qualitative study. We employ the Pecheutian discourse analysis. The study universe is the first and second edition of DGBP. Data analysis used three steps: identification of similar and different texts of these materials; elucidation of the social and cultural dimensions of food in these materials; and systematic analysis with contrasting emerging discourses in both DGBPs. We emphasize that in the second edition the theoretical references-epidemiological, clinical, sociological, anthropological studies, and popular knowledge-and the use of the NOVA food classification favored the development of more holistic dietary guidelines that address food and eating patterns, culinary practices, the act of eating and the commensality. It is concluded that the second editions of DGPB allows health professionals and the population an understanding of food as something concrete in the life of individuals and collectivity, extrapolating its physiological and biological dimension.

Association of Eating Alone with Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation among Korean Adults

BACKGROUND

In recent years, eating dinner alone has become a rising social issue in Korea. Depression is one of the primary health problems that can lead to numerous negative consequences. However, few studies have focused on people who eat alone and the effect of eating alone on depression. We investigated the association between eating dinner alone and depression.

METHODS

Our cross-sectional study included data from 14,093 Korean adults aged above 19 years old; data were sourced from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2014, 2016, and 2018, when the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used. We classified participants based on their dinner habits: eating alone or social eating. Depression and suicidal ideation among participants were measured using the PHQ-9. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate whether eating alone was related to depression or suicidal ideation after adjusting for age, sex, household income, education, alcohol, smoking, exercise, frequency of eating out, and living arrangement.

RESULTS

Individuals who ate dinner alone (22.9%) had higher depression and suicidal ideation rates than those who ate with others. Those who ate alone had greater odds ratios (ORs) of depressive symptoms (depression: OR, 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.58; suicidal ideation: OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.25-1.78) after adjustment for covariates. The subgroup analysis shows that the odds of suicidal ideation among individuals who eat alone were nonexistent among those who performed regular aerobic exercise.

CONCLUSION

Eating dinner alone is closely associated with depressive symptoms, particularly suicidal ideation. Therefore, providing opportunities to eat with others may be effective for maintaining the mental health of adults.

Assessing Commensality in Research

This scoping review focuses on the assessment of commensality in research and attempts to identify used methods for performing research on commensality. It reflects a multidisciplinary research field and draws on findings from Web of Science Core Collection, up to April 2019. The empirical material consisted of 61 studies, whereof most were qualitative research, and some were of quantitative character, including very few dietary surveys. The findings show nine papers categorized as using quantitative approaches, 52 papers were categorized as qualitative. The results show a wide variety of different ways to try to find and understand how commensality can be understood and identified. There seems to be a shift in the very concept of commensality as well as some variations around the concept. This paper argues the need to further investigate the importance of commensality for health and wellbeing, as well as the need to gather data on health and health-related behaviors, living conditions and sociodemographic data in parallel. The review shows the broad-ranging areas where commensality is researched, from cultural and historical areas to ethnographic or anthropological areas over to dietary assessment. To complement large dietary surveys with methods of assessing who you are eating with in what environment should be a simple way to further our knowledge on the circumstances of meal intake and the importance of commensality. To add 24-h dietary recall to any study of commensality is another way of identifying the importance of commensality for dietary quality. The use of mixed methods research was encouraged by several authors as a good way forward in the assessment of commensality and its importance.

Association between commensality with depression and suicidal ideation of Korean adults: the sixth and seventh Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated whether commensality (eating a meal with others) is associated with mental health (depression, suicidal ideation) in Korean adults over 19 years old.

METHODS

Our study employed data from the sixth and seventh Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (KNHANES) for 2013, 2015, and 2017. The study population consisted of 14,125 Korean adults (5854 men and 8271 women). In this cross-sectional study, data were analyzed with the Rao-Scott chi-square test and multiple logistic regression to evaluate the association between commensality(0[includes skipping meals] to 3 times eating meals together) and both depression and suicidal ideation using select questions from the Mental Health Survey. By setting socioeconomic factors, health conditions, and behavioral factors as confounders, we conducted a subgroup analysis to reveal the effect on depression and suicidal ideation commensality.

RESULTS

Commensality was significantly associated with depression and suicidal ideation (p < 0.05). In both sexes, people who ate fewer meals together had poorer mental health. In a subgroup analysis, we revealed greater odds of developing depression in men when living in rural areas and belonging to low-income groups. In contrast, greater odds of suicidal ideation in men who ate alone when living in the city and belonging to high-income groups. On the other hand, Women in every region had greater odds of being depressed if they ate alone. And greater odds of suicidal ideation in women who ate alone when living in the city and belonging to medium-high income groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis confirmed that Korean adults with lower chance of commensality had greater risk of developing depression and suicidal ideation. And it could be affected by individuals' various backgrounds including socioeconomic status. As a result, to help people with depression and prevent a suicidal attempt, this study will be baseline research for social workers, educators and also policy developers to be aware of the importance of eating together.

Characteristics of Eating Alone Affecting the Stress, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation

This study aimed to identify the characteristics of eating alone that influence stress, depression, and suicidal ideation in Korean adults. This study was a cross-sectional survey using the raw data of the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI) conducted in 2015. The survey sampled 7380 adults, of whom 3515 were included in this analysis. The odds of stress were 1.308 times higher in individuals who ate dinner alone than those who ate dinner with others. The odds of having depressive symptoms were 1.711 times and 1.531 times higher in individuals who ate lunch and dinner alone, respectively, than those who ate lunch or dinner with others. The association between eating alone and suicidal ideation was statistically significant only in the simple model. There is a need for interventional programs that can reduce negative relationships of eating alone behaviors for preventing mental health problems.

Solo dining in Chinese restaurants: A mixed-method study in Macao

Given the emergence of solo dining resulting from the changing family structure and increasingly individualised lifestyle in contemporary Chinese society, this study investigates solo dining in the setting of Chinese restaurants in Macao, including the solo dining motivations, behavioural characteristics, and experiences, taking into considerations the underlying social and cultural factors. Adopting a sequential exploratory mixed-method design, 18 interviews were conducted, followed by a survey with 493 local diners. Findings show that freedom of choice and satisfying hunger are the main motivations for solo dining, and some solo-friendly attributes, food-related attributes, and restaurant characteristics are considered as important elements. Solo dining is perceived positively, partly because its perceptions and experiences are shaped by the diners' socio-cultural backgrounds and unique regional characteristics, in which solo dining is considered relatively common in Macao as opposed to extant literature that has suggested an essentialised assumption about Chinese group-oriented dining preference. Sociocultural insights and managerial implications are provided in catering to the growing solo diner market.

Analysis of differences in eating alone attitude of Koreans by dietary habits and age

This study compares differences in eating alone attitude according to dietary habits and age in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do region in South Korea. Out of total 411 participants, 207(50.4%) were males and 204(49.6%) were females. 30 types of eating alone attitude were identified to perform a factor analysis; further these 30 types of attitudes were categorized into 8 factors termed as: 'enjoyable eating alone', 'eating alone as a daily routine', 'healthy eating alone', 'self-conscious eating alone', 'choose what I want', 'efficient eating alone', 'lonely eating alone', and 'solo dining'. Our investigation on the link between dietary habits and eating alone attitude revealed significant differences in 3 factors out of those 8 factors: healthy eating alone, solo dining, eating alone as a daily routine. The high healthy meal group was found to have less frequency of eating alone. Among people in their 20s and 30s, the low healthy meal group had more population than the high healthy meal group. There was a tendency that the population of the high healthy meal group increases as age rises. Our data indicated that the younger generation eats alone more frequently as a daily routine (p < 0.01), feels freer when eating alone, eats out alone more frequently (p < 0.01). People in their 20s were found to be more positive on eating alone and tended to be willing solo diners. The high healthy meal group did eat alone in a healthy way whereas the low healthy meal group had a negative view on eating alone. Our study aims at providing a good starting point to develop programs for healthy eating alone by finding gaps between healthy and unhealthy eating alone.

Eat regularly and carefully, in appropriate environments and in company": A brief analysis of this recommendation of the Brazilian Food Guide

The second edition of the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population has gained prominence both nationally and internationally for its recommendations. "Eating regularly and carefully, in appropriate environments and, whenever possible, in company" is an example of such recommendations presented in the chapter entitled "the act of eating and the commensality". The purpose of this study was to perform a brief analysis of the following 1) the expression "the act of eating" from a sociologic and historical perspective and 2) the recommendation "eat regularly and carefully, in appropriate environments and, whenever possible, in company", separately from each other. It was performed a qualitative study that used documentary research and bibliographic research. The materials considered for the analysis were the fourth chapter of the Brazilian Food Guide, as a document, and books and scientific articles, as bibliographies. The materials were evaluated and selected considering five dimensions: (i) the context; (ii) the author (or the authors); (iii) the authenticity and reliability of the text; (iv) the nature of the text; (v) the key concepts and the internal logic of the text. Then, the document analysis was performed elaborating, for each theme, tables with: (i) names of the authors; (ii) definition or scope of the themes found in the materials, and (iii) annotations from which perspectives the themes were addressed. We present a brief analysis of the relevant aspects of the themes "the act of eating", "eating regularly and carefully", "eating in appropriate environments", and "eating in company". This article contributed to enlarging the scientific discussion on these themes, from various perspectives, and could be taken into account in the development, by other countries, of its dietary guidelines.

The popularity of eating broadcast: Content analysis of "mukbang" YouTube videos, media coverage, and the health impact of "mukbang" on public

As "mukbang" (eating broadcast) becomes increasingly widespread, there is growing interest about the impact of mukbang on public health. This study aimed to analyze the content of mukbang YouTube videos, as well as news articles related to mukbang and the association between watching mukbang videos and health habits. We analyzed 5952 YouTube mukbang videos, 5265 news articles, and a survey of 1200 people in Korea. In this study, we confirmed that the provocative content of mukbang YouTube videos, such as overeating, was related to video popularity (p < 0.001). In addition, more exposure to mukbang was associated with greater effects on dietary health due to mukbang (p < 0.001). The prevalence of news articles on the negative effects of mukbang showed an increasing trend over time, while the articles on "Mukbang is funny" were most common in all the years evaluated. To cope with public health problems such as obesity, it will be necessary to continue to investigate the content and effects of mukbang on public health.

Turkish version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale: preliminary results of factorial structure, reliability, and construct validity

BACKGROUND

Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) was established to identify individuals exhibiting signs of addiction towards certain types of food. This study aimed to develop a Turkish version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale and test its psychometric properties.

METHODS

The backward translation techniques were used to develop Turkish versions of the YFAS, and its reproducibility was assessed. Turkish version of the YFAS was administered to a total of 1033 participants (439 men and 594 women), aged 19-65 years. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to examine the factorial structure of the tool. Construct validity was assessed by principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation. Reliabilities were estimated with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The criterion-related validity was tested by the administration of Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) to all participants.

RESULTS

The primary factor loadings for seven items were ranged between 0.45 and 0.79, and no items cross-loaded onto other factors. The fit indices showed that eight items of the YFAS were a good representation of the item responses and each item loaded significantly on the specified factor (p < 0.001 for each). YFAS subscales had a high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The criterion-related validity of the tool showed a positive relationship with scales of the EAT-26.

CONCLUSION

Current study suggested that the Turkish version of the YFAS is a reliable, valid, and useful tool for assessing the signs of food addiction in a non-clinical sample.

Eating Alone is Differentially Associated with the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Men and Women

Few studies have examined overall patterns of eating alone in relation to the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean populations. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between patterns of eating alone and the risk of MetS in Korean adults. Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) for 2013–2015 were used, with 8988 Korean adult participants, including 3624 men and 5364 women, aged 18 to 64 years. Patterns of eating alone were categorized into eight groups based on the total frequency of eating alone on a daily basis in the past one year: (1) three times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; (2) twice for breakfast and dinner; (3) twice for lunch and dinner; (4) twice for breakfast and lunch; (5) once for breakfast only; (6) once for lunch only; (7) once for dinner only; and (8) never eating alone. The presence of MetS has been defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between patterns of eating alone versus the risk of MetS after controlling for age, income, occupation, number of family members, generation types, marital status, smoking status, and physical activity. The prevalence of MetS was the highest in men and women aged 40–64 who had breakfast, lunch, and dinner alone (50.1% and 36.8%, respectively). Men who had dinner alone or lunch and dinner alone compared with those who eat with others had a significantly higher risk of MetS, with adjusted odds ratios (AOR) of 1.51, and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.06–2.16; and an AOR of 1.54, with a 95% CI of 1.05–2.25, respectively. Women who had breakfast alone compared with those who ate with others had a significantly lower risk of MetS (AOR 0.70, 95% CI 0.53–0.94). In conclusion, patterns of eating alone are differentially associated with the risk of MetS in a representative sample of Korean adults. Future studies are warranted to identify dietary patterns across the different eating alone patterns in relation to various health outcomes in Korean adult populations.