Personal, community, and societal factors associated with mukbang viewing among adolescents: findings from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey

OBJECTIVES: Mukbang refers to livestreamed videos in which hosts consume large amounts of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods while interacting with viewers. Mukbang is widely viewed by Korean adolescents and has been associated with adverse health outcomes. To inform efforts to prevent excessive engagement with mukbang content among Korean adolescents, this study examined personal, community, and societal factors associated with excessive mukbang viewing (≥7 times/wk) and explored gender differences in these associations. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2022 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey (n=36,990; mean age, 15.1±1.7 years; 48.6% girls; 53.2% attending middle school). Self-reported measures included personal (e.g., perceived health, weight, stress, depression, anxiety), community (e.g., living arrangement), and societal factors (e.g., socioeconomic status) and mukbang viewing frequency. Logistic and modified Poisson regression models were used to examine associations with excessive mukbang viewing and to evaluate differences by gender. RESULTS: Intrapersonal factors—namely perceived health, weight, stress, depression, and anxiety—were associated with excessive mukbang viewing (adjusted prevalence ratios, 1.18 to 1.44), with more pronounced relationships among girls. A community-level factor—living arrangement—displayed a significant association in boys but not in girls. Boys living on campus had 1.42 times the prevalence of excessive mukbang viewing than boys residing with family members (95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 1.88) after adjustment. Further mutual adjustment attenuated estimates toward the null. Societal factors were not significantly associated with excessive mukbang viewing among adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Personal and community factors were associated with excessive mukbang viewing. Future research should investigate the mechanisms underlying these associations.