Changes in the Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic According to Household Income Levels

Kang, Hyunjung; Lee, Dagyeong; Park, Junhee; Jung, Su-Min

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Original Article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.23.0171 [Epub ahead of print]
Published online April 25, 2024.

Changes in the Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic According to Household Income Levels

Hyunjung Kang¹

, Dagyeong Lee¹

, Junhee Park¹

, Su-Min Jung²

¹Department of Family Medicine/Supportive Care Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Corresponding author: Su-Min Jung, Tel: +82-2-880-5691, Fax: +82-2-880-9274,
Email: smjeong.fm@snu.ac.kr

Received: 31 August 2023 • Revised: 22 November 2023 • Accepted: 26 November 2023

Abstract

Background
Since the World Health Organization’s pandemic declaration in March 2020, Korea has witnessed shifts in lifestyle behaviors, impacting habits tied to socioeconomic status and contributing to metabolic syndrome (MetS). To investigate this issue, the current study aimed to investigate changes in MetS prevalence, particularly based on income levels before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Methods
This study used data from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019–2020). A total of 6,840 individuals aged 30–65 years were included in this study. Household income was divided into high (≥75th percentile), middle (25–75th percentile), and low (≤25th percentile). A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the interaction between this association before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results
A statistically significant difference was found in the prevalence of MetS before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (26.7% to 30.2%, P=0.001). These changes differed based on income levels. The increase in the prevalence of MetS was statistically significant in the low- and high-income groups but not in the middle-income group (low: 8.0%p increase [P=0.039], middle: 1.0%p increase [P=0.522], high: 6.4%p increase [P<0.001]). The interaction between household income and the COVID-19 pandemic on MetS was statistically significant (P for interaction= 0.032).
Conclusion
This study revealed that P for interaction between household income, MetS, and the period before and after the COVID-19 pandemic was significant. Changes in physical activity and eating habits during the COVID- 19 pandemic may have contributed to these differences.

Key Words: COVID-19; Socioeconomic Status; Income; Metabolic Syndrome