title: The association between disturbed eating behavior and socioeconomic status: the Online Korean Adolescent Panel Survey (OnKAPS).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A limited amount of research, primarily conducted in Western countries, has suggested that higher socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with higher risk of eating disorders (EDs). However, little is known about this association in Asian countries. We examined the association of SES with disturbed eating behavior (DEB) and related factors in Korean adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nationwide online panel survey was conducted in a sample of adolescents (n = 6,943, 49.9% girls). DEB was measured with the 26-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Participants who scored ≥20 on the EAT-26 were considered to have DEB. Participants' SES was determined based on self-reported household economic status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of DEB was 12.7%: 10.5% among boys and 14.8% among girls. Both boys and girls with DEB were more likely to perceive themselves as obese, experience higher levels of stress, and have lower academic achievement. The risk for DEB was significantly higher in boys of higher SES than in those of middle SES (OR = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.05-1.99 for high SES; OR = 5.16, 95%CI: 3.50-7.61 for highest SES). Among girls, higher risk of DEB was associated with the highest and lowest SES (OR = 1.52, 95%CI: 1.13-2.06 for lowest SES; OR = 2.22, 95%CI: 1.34-3.68 for highest SES).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the lower prevalence of obesity in Korea compared with Western countries, the prevalence of DEB in Korean adolescents was high, especially among girls. Moreover, the association between SES and DEB followed a U-shaped curve for girls and a J-shaped curve for boys.
authors.affiliation: Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Hae-Jeung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sangshin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Cho-il
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Doo-won
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jung Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sun Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Eunyoung
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hye Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kwang-il
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Sang Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires