Smartphone use, psychological stress, and sleep quality are increasingly recognized as lifestyle factors that may influence dietary behaviors in young adults; however, their associations with overall diet quality remain unclear.
Methods This cross-sectional study investigated the associations of daily smartphone use, perceived stress, and perceived sleep quality with diet quality and macronutrient intake among 497 Korean adults aged 20–39 years. Diet quality was assessed using the Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adults 2021 (NQ-2021), and dietary intake was evaluated using a 24-hour dietary recall.
Results Longer smartphone use was inversely associated with total NQ and practice scores after adjustment for potential confounders. Participants with higher perceived stress consumed a greater amount of carbohydrates and a lower amount of fat per 1,000 kcal, whereas total NQ scores did not differ according to perceived stress level. Participants reporting poorer sleep quality had significantly lower total NQ, balance, and moderation scores and lower protein intake than those with better sleep quality.
Conclusion These findings suggest that self-reported smartphone use, perceived stress, and perceived sleep quality are associated with different aspects of diet quality and macronutrient intake among Korean young adults. Prospective studies using validated or objective measures are warranted to clarify the temporal relationships between these lifestyle-related factors and dietary behaviors.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) present a huge global burden, accounting for approximately 7.3 trillion cases and 43.8 million deaths in 2021. In India, 68% of all deaths are caused by NCDs. Carbohydrate intake has been associated with NCD development. Standard Indian diets mainly comprise carbohydrates. In this study, we aimed to analyze the association of vegetarian versus omnivorous diets with the odds of developing NCDs in patients visiting the emergency department.
Methods Over 18 months, a cross-sectional epidemiological survey-based study was conducted among patients aged >18 years presenting to our department with documented comorbid conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus [DM], hypertension, heart disease, hypothyroidism, Alzheimer disease, and cancer). These patients completed a 32-item questionnaire survey regarding dietary and lifestyle choices. Associations between comorbidity status and dietary variables were evaluated by bivariate analysis. Additionally, unadjusted odds ratio (OR) and adjusted OR for DM, hypertension, and heart disease were calculated.
Results This study included 11,011 patients, of which 55.31% were males and 68.91% were >55 years old. Furthermore, 65.87% were vegetarians, whereas 28.97% were omnivores. Hypertension, DM, and heart disease were found in 62.6%, 49.9% and 26.0%, respectively, while 58% had combinations of NCDs. Adjusted for age, sex, smoking, sugar, alcohol, exercise, and packaged food, OR (omnivore vs. vegetarian) was 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86–1.03; P=0.180), 0.91 (95% CI, 0.83–1.00; P=0.052) and 1.02 (95% CI, 0.92–1.13; P=0.690) for DM, hypertension, and heart disease, respectively.
Conclusion Most patients with NCDs followed a vegetarian dietary pattern, which was not associated with lower odds of developing NCDs.