Department of Urban Society, The Seoul Institute, Seoul, 06756, Republic of Korea.
Graduate School of Urban Public Health, University of Seoul, Seoul, 02504, Republic of Korea.
BMC Public Health. 2023 Oct 19;23(1):2047. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16874-3.
Single-person households constitute over 40% of all households in the Republic of Korea and are more vulnerable to food insecurity and depression than multi-person households. There is a lack of research on examining whether regional characteristics are associated with the degree of food insecurity and depression among single-person households. This study aimed to examine the regional disparities in food security and depression among single-person households in the Republic of Korea.
A total of 227,873 adults from the 2019 Korean Community Health Survey was included in the analysis. According to population density and poverty rate, the residence of the participants was classified into four regions: metropolitan areas with high population density were classified into areas with low poverty rates (Region 1) and high poverty rates (Region 2), and provinces with low population density were classified into areas with low poverty rates (Region 3) and high poverty rates (Region 4). Using a single item of household food security, those who had experienced a lack of food due to financial difficulties over the past year were classified as food insecure. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the risk of food insecurity and depression according to regional characteristics were calculated after adjusting for potential confounding variables.
After adjusting for confounding variables, single-person households in regions with high population density, Regions 1 and 2, had 1.16 times (95% CI = 1.04-1.30) and 1.43 times (95% CI = 1.27-1.61) higher odds of food insecurity, respectively, compared to those in Region 4. Single-person households in regions with low poverty rates, Regions 1 and 3, had 1.54 times (95% CI = 1.34-1.77) and 1.21 times (95% CI = 1.01-1.46) higher odds of depression, respectively, than those in Region 4. Among those who lived alone, the middle-aged, having low income, receiving livelihood benefits, or having a low educational attainment had higher odds of experiencing both food insecurity and depression than their counterparts.
As the risk of food insecurity and depression in single-person households differs according to regional characteristics, local governments need to implement policies for single-person households in consideration of these distinct characteristics.
单人家庭在大韩民国的所有家庭中占比超过 40%，其面临的食物不安全和抑郁风险比多人家庭更高。目前，关于区域特征是否与单人家庭的食物不安全和抑郁程度相关的研究还很少。本研究旨在探讨韩国单人家庭在食物安全和抑郁方面的区域差异。
共纳入了 2019 年韩国社区健康调查中的 227873 名成年人。根据人口密度和贫困率，将参与者的居住地分为四个区域：人口密度高的大都市地区分为贫困率低（地区 1）和贫困率高（地区 2）的区域，人口密度低的省份分为贫困率低（地区 3）和贫困率高（地区 4）的区域。使用家庭食物安全的单一项目，将过去一年因经济困难而经历过食物短缺的人归类为食物不安全。抑郁采用患者健康问卷-9 进行测量。在调整了潜在混杂变量后，计算了按区域特征划分的食物不安全和抑郁风险的优势比和 95%置信区间（CI）。
在调整了混杂变量后，与地区 4 相比，人口密度高的地区 1 和地区 2 的单人家庭食物不安全的优势比分别为 1.16（95% CI=1.04-1.30）和 1.43（95% CI=1.27-1.61）。贫困率低的地区 1 和地区 3 的单人家庭抑郁的优势比分别为 1.54（95% CI=1.34-1.77）和 1.21（95% CI=1.01-1.46），高于地区 4。在独居者中，中年、低收入、领取生计福利或低教育程度的人比同龄人更容易出现食物不安全和抑郁。
由于单人家庭的食物不安全和抑郁风险因区域特征而异，地方政府在制定针对单人家庭的政策时需要考虑这些不同的特征。
