Abstract
BACKGROUND: The rise of mukbang and cookbang (eating and cooking broadcasts) has generated concerns about their potential influence on eating and drinking behaviors. This study investigated the association between alcohol consumption and watching mukbang and cookbang among adolescents. METHODS: Data of 50,111 adolescents from the 2022 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS) were analyzed. Alcohol consumption and watching mukbang and cookbang were measured based on the frequency of use during the past 30 days and 12 months, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analyses stratified by sex were performed to examine the associations between mukbang and cookbang content viewership and alcohol consumption, adjusting for all covariates. Odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI) were calculated for each association. RESULTS: Over the past 30 days, 14.6% of males and 10.6% of females reported consuming alcohol. Furthermore, watching mukbang and cookbang significantly increased alcohol use among both males (OR: 1.29; 95% CI]: 1.20-1.38) and females (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.26-1.59) compared to the non-watching group. Among males, watching mukbang or cookbang was associated with higher odds of alcohol consumption in the low (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.02-1.33) and middle (OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.27-1.60) economic status groups, but not in the high group (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.46-1.39). Among females, significant associations were observed in the low (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.16-1.70) and middle (OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.22-1.67) economic status groups, but not in the high group (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 0.53-2.44). The amount of time spent watching such media was incrementally associated with alcohol use in males and females. CONCLUSION: A significant association was found between watching mukbang and cookbang and alcohol use among adolescents. The association varied according to economic status, with stronger associations observed in the low and middle economic status groups. These findings suggest that mukbang and cookbang media content may have substantial effects on adolescents' health-related behaviors.