Association between Nutrition Label Utilization and Chronic Kidney Disease in Diabetic Patients: Using the Data of the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019-2021)

Objectives: This study examined the characteristics of nutrition label use and its relationship with chronic kidney disease (CKD) among diabetic patients using data from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) (2019-2021). Methods: The study population comprised 2,284 diabetic patients aged 19 and over who participated in the 8th KNHANES. Nutrition label utilization was assessed based on awareness, use in food selection, and influence on food choices. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m². Chi-square tests, independent t-tests, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between nutrition label use and CKD. Results: The results showed that the prevalence of CKD among patients with diabetes was 10.3%. The odds ratio (OR) of CKD according to nutrition label awareness was 0.9 (95% confidence interval, CI=0.6-1.3), but it was not statistically significant. In contrast, the ORs according to use in food selection and influence on food choices were statistically significant (OR=0.4, 95% CI=0.2-0.9 in both cases). Conclusions: Nutrition label use and its influence on food choices were significantly associated with CKD among diabetic patients. Thus, increased health education is needed to promote dietary modification and nutrition label use among these patients.