Temporary Employment Is Associated with Poor Dietary Quality in Middle-Aged Workers in Korea: A Nationwide Study Based on the Korean Healthy Eating Index, 2013–2021

Abstract

Temporary employment is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases and mortality. This study explored the association between temporary employment and dietary quality in middle-aged workers. This cross-sectional study included a nationwide sample of middle-aged Korean workers (n = 6467). Employment type was categorized into regular, fixed-term, and daily employment, based on labor contract duration. Dietary quality was assessed using the Korean Health Eating Index (KHEI), which ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating superior dietary quality. Linear regression was used to estimate beta coefficients (β) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The survey-weighted proportion of regular, fixed-term, and daily employment was 79.0%, 14.2%, and 6.8%, respectively. Fixed-term and daily employment were associated with a reduced KHEI compared with regular employment (β [95% CI]: −1.07 [−2.11, −0.04] for fixed-term and −2.46 [−3.89, −1.03] for daily employment). In sex-stratified analysis, the association between temporary employment and dietary quality was more pronounced in men (β [95% CI]: −1.69 [−3.71, 0.33] for fixed-term and −2.60 [−4.63, −0.53] for daily employment than in women. In conclusion, this study suggests that temporary employment is a social determinant of dietary quality in middle-aged workers.