Association between watching eating broadcasts like mukbang and cookbang and generalized anxiety disorder among Korean adolescents

• Published in: BMC psychiatry Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 536 - 10
• Main Authors: Kim, Jung-Hwan, Kim, Jinhyun, Jang, Suk-Yong, Park, Eun-Cheol
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 30.07.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; Anxiety disorders; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Care and treatment; Complications and side effects; Diagnosis; Eating disorders; Female; Females; GAD-7; Generalized anxiety disorder; Health aspects; Humans; Internet videos; KYRBS; Male; Mukbang and cookbang; Prevalence; Psychological aspects; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Risk factors; Sensory integration; Social aspects; Socioeconomic factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenage girls; Teenagers; Television - statistics & numerical data; Republic of Korea; South Korea; Mukbang and cookbang; GAD-7; Generalized anxiety disorder; Adolescents; KYRBS
• ISSN: 1471-244X; 1471-244X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12888-024-05957-z

Anxiety disorders are common during adolescence; therefore, detecting anxiety disorders among adolescents and providing appropriate treatment are crucial. Studies have suggested that watching online audiovisual broadcasts like mukbang and cookbang (hereafter mukbang), where hosts eat or cook food, may influence anxiety disorders. However, there is insufficient research on the association between watching mukbang and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Therefore, we investigated the association between watching mukbang and GAD among Korean adolescents. We analyzed 51,764 adolescents who participated in the 2020 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey (KYRBS). The participants were asked how frequently they watched mukbang per week over the past 12 months. Anxiety disorders were assessed using the generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed after adjusting for confounding variables. The prevalence of GAD was higher among adolescents who watched mukbang compared to those who did not (aOR: 1.100, 95% CI: 1.026-1.180, P = 0.008 in male participants; aOR: 1.090, 95% CI: 1.003-1.185, P = 0.042 in female participants). The frequency of watching mukbang showed a dose-dependent relationship with a greater likelihood of GAD in female adolescents. This study's results showed that watching mukbang is associated with GAD in Korean adolescents. Proper interventions for mental health are needed for adolescents who watch mukbang.