Lee Haerang, Kim Seon-Jip, Kang Minji
Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Department of Preventive Dentistry and Public Oral Health, School of Dentistry & Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 7;20(7):e0327763. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327763. eCollection 2025.
This study investigates the differences in health, dietary habits, and quality of life between single-person and multi-person households, with a specific focus on demographic subgroups such as gender and age. Data were drawn from the 2013-2021 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, encompassing 40,839 participants aged 19 and older, and were analyzed using multivariate regression models. The results revealed significant disparities between the two types of households. Single-person male households exhibited poorer dietary quality and higher metabolic risk indicators, such as elevated waist circumference, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure, compared to their multi-person counterparts. In contrast, single-person female households demonstrated slightly better metabolic profiles, including lower body mass index, triglycerides, and fasting glucose, relative to multi-person households. Quality of life, assessed using the EuroQol-5 Dimension, was significantly lower in single-person households, with women reporting higher rates of anxiety, depression, and mobility issues. Subgroup analyses identified pronounced vulnerabilities among single-person males aged 40-59 and single-person females aged 60 and older. These findings highlight the need for tailored public health policies and market strategies to address the distinct needs of diverse single-person household subgroups. Further research should prioritize well-designed studies exploring populations with unique characteristics, such as single-person households, to better understand their specific challenges and requirements compared to multi-person households.
本研究调查了单人家庭和多人家庭在健康、饮食习惯和生活质量方面的差异，特别关注性别和年龄等人口亚组。数据来自2013 - 2021年韩国国家健康与营养检查调查，涵盖40839名19岁及以上的参与者，并使用多元回归模型进行分析。结果显示，这两种类型的家庭之间存在显著差异。与多人男性家庭相比，单人男性家庭的饮食质量较差，代谢风险指标较高，如腰围增加、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇升高和血压升高。相比之下，与多人家庭相比，单人女性家庭的代谢状况略好，包括较低的体重指数、甘油三酯和空腹血糖。使用欧洲五维健康量表评估的生活质量在单人家庭中显著较低，女性报告焦虑、抑郁和行动问题的发生率较高。亚组分析确定了40 - 59岁的单人男性和60岁及以上的单人女性中存在明显的脆弱性。这些发现凸显了制定针对性公共卫生政策和市场策略以满足不同单人家庭亚组独特需求的必要性。进一步的研究应优先开展精心设计的研究，探索具有独特特征的人群，如单人家庭，以便更好地了解他们与多人家庭相比的具体挑战和需求。
