COIOS
Weighing data and models Item confirms peer-reviewed

Lower education was the most consistent socioeconomic correlate of obesity in Korea

A cross-sectional analysis of the 2022-2024 wave of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found lower educational attainment the most consistent socioeconomic correlate of obesity (BMI 25 or above) in adults aged 19 and over, with income and employment less consistent.

The study used the ninth wave of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2022 to 2024) to build proxy life-course socioeconomic trajectories for South Korean adults aged 19 and over and relate them to obesity, defined by the Korean threshold of BMI 25 or above. Lower educational attainment was the most consistent correlate of obesity, while associations for income and employment varied after adjustment.

Why it is interesting: Uses a repeated cross-sectional national survey to approximate life-course socioeconomic trajectories in the absence of linked longitudinal records.

Source
International Journal of Population Data Science, 29 September 2026
DOI
10.23889/ijpds.v11i3.3430
Type
Peer-reviewed article
Design
Cross-sectional analysis of the ninth wave of KNHANES (2022-2024), adults aged 19 and over
Verdict
Confirms prior evidence
Driver
What linked data reveals
Driver
Obesity, diabetes and GLP-1
Driver
Health funding and inequalities