Association between mukbang and cookbang watching and obesity in Korean adolescents: a cross-sectional study

In this study, the association between the frequency of watching mukbang/ cookbang (online eating and cooking broadcasts) and obesity in Korean adolescents was investigated using data from the 21st (2025) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey.

The subjects were 52,624 middle- and high-school students, who were classified based on watching frequency as follows: non-watchers, monthly watchers, and weekly watchers (≥ 1 time/week). Changes in the dietary behavior of the watchers (n = 34,375) were assessed. Obesity was defined as a sex- and age-specific body mass index ≥ 95th percentile as per the 2017 Korean Children and Adolescents Growth Standard. Complex sample multiple logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), controlling for sociodemographic, health-related, and dietary covariates. Sex-stratified analyses and P for trend tests were also conducted.

Overall, 65.3% of students watched mukbang/cookbang in the past year. The weekly watchers had significantly higher odds of obesity than the non-watchers (aOR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02-1.16; P for trend = 0.011). Sex-stratified analyses showed a positive association in boys (aOR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.11-1.30), but an inverse association in girls (aOR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.77-0.97). Among the watchers, the "eating quickly" group had the highest odds for obesity (aOR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.31-1.82), whereas the "eating night snacks/ snacks" (aOR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.74-0.98) and "eating spicy or highly flavored foods" (aOR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.73-0.99) groups were associated with lower odds of obesity.

Regular mukbang/cookbang viewing was significantly associated with adolescent obesity. A media-induced "fast eating rate" was identified as a potential behavioral pathway linked to higher obesity risk, suggesting that adolescent obesity prevention programs should incorporate media literacy and behavioral interventions that promote slower eating.