Park Hyunjeong, Nam Youngmin, Huang Linxi, Lee Youngmi, Yoon Jihyun
Department of Food and Nutrition, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
Department of Food and Nutrition, Myongji University, Yongin 17058, Korea.
Nutr Res Pract. 2025 Feb;19(1):117-130. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2025.19.1.117. Epub 2025 Jan 31.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study examined the socio-demographic and dietary characteristics of the elderly in Seoul according to their food insecurity status and analyzed the characteristics associated with food insecurity.
SUBJECTS/METHODS: The data from 513 elderly individuals aged 65 or older were analyzed using the raw data from the Seoul Food Survey 2023. The subjects were classified into food-secure or food-insecure groups. The socio-demographic and dietary characteristics of each group were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the characteristics associated with food insecurity among the elderly in Seoul.
The proportion of the food-insecure group was 56.9% among the total elderly in Seoul. The main reasons for experiencing food insecurity were environmental (38.0%), followed by physical (37.5%) and financial (24.5%). The food-insecure group had a higher frequency of skipping breakfast and eating alone than the food-secure group while having lower dietary literacy and food environment satisfaction. Logistic regression analysis showed that the elderly living alone were approximately four times (odds ratio [OR], 3.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52-8.51) more likely to suffer food insecurity than those living with others. Higher digital food literacy (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.41-0.97) and food environment satisfaction (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.20-0.74) were associated with a lower likelihood of food insecurity.
These results suggest that policies aimed at improving food security for the elderly in Seoul should prioritize those living alone. Educational programs designed to enhance the ability to purchase online food, use self-service kiosks in restaurants, and use food delivery apps would effectively decrease food insecurity among the elderly in Seoul. Furthermore, policies aimed at improving the food environment may also help reduce food insecurity among this population.
背景/目的：本研究根据首尔老年人的粮食不安全状况，调查了他们的社会人口统计学和饮食特征，并分析了与粮食不安全相关的特征。
对象/方法：使用2023年首尔食品调查的原始数据，对513名65岁及以上的老年人的数据进行了分析。将受试者分为粮食安全组或粮食不安全组。分析了每组的社会人口统计学和饮食特征。进行逻辑回归分析，以确定首尔老年人中与粮食不安全相关的特征。
在首尔的老年人群体中，粮食不安全组的比例为56.9%。经历粮食不安全的主要原因是环境因素（38.0%），其次是身体因素（37.5%）和经济因素（24.5%）。与粮食安全组相比，粮食不安全组不吃早餐和独自用餐的频率更高，而饮食素养和食物环境满意度较低。逻辑回归分析表明，独居老人遭受粮食不安全的可能性比与他人同住的老人高出约四倍（优势比[OR]，3.59；95%置信区间[CI]，1.52 - 8.51）。较高的数字食品素养（OR，0.63；95% CI，0.41 - 0.97）和食物环境满意度（OR，0.38；95% CI，0.20 - 0.74）与较低的粮食不安全可能性相关。
这些结果表明，旨在改善首尔老年人粮食安全的政策应优先考虑独居老人。旨在提高在线购买食品、在餐厅使用自助服务亭以及使用食品配送应用程序能力的教育项目，将有效减少首尔老年人的粮食不安全状况。此外，旨在改善食物环境的政策也可能有助于减少这一人群的粮食不安全状况。
