An Empirical Analysis of Korean Traditional Dietary (Hansik) Choices Considering Consumers’ Health Status and Attitude

Abstract

This study aims to discover the health-related lifestyles about Korean traditional dietary (Hansik) choices. We identified which food items are widely perceived as Hansik based on the 2013~2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANS) data and investigated distinct patterns of health-related status and behaviors using cluster analysis. Relying on a Tobit approach, we found that age, region, education level, household income, number of household members and marriage status significantly contributed to individual’s rate of Hansik consumption. We also found that the group with relatively younger people characterized by a busy lifestyle and more social activities, those who showed a higher household income, and people who live in metropolitan areas tended to consume less Hansik dietary. We also highlighted that the group with unhealthy lifestyles and risk-averse(cluster 4) tended to consume more Hansik dietary, while the group with healthy lifestyles and risk-prone habits(cluster 2) were likely to consume less Hansik dietary. Regarding policy implications, the result of our study can be used to develop a tailor-made strategy for each group of clusters aimed at increasing Hansik consumption.