Korean J Fam Med.  2013 Nov;34(6):385-392. 10.4082/kjfm.2013.34.6.385.

Sociodemographic Characteristics of Underweight Korean Adults: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2010

• Park SI
• Cho YG
• Kang JH
• Park HA
• Kim KW
• Hur YI
• Kang HJ

• KMID: 2304164
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2013.34.6.385

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Underweight is associated with increased risk of mortality and morbidity. It is reported that the prevalence of underweight is increasing among Korean young women. However, there have been few studies on sociodemographic factors related to being underweight. This study was conducted to elucidate the sociodemographic characteristics of Korean underweight adults.
METHODS
This study is a cross-sectional study of 7,776 adults aged 25 to 69 years using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2010. Study subjects were composed of underweight and normal-weight adults excluding overweight adults. Body mass index was calculated from measured height and weight. Health behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and physical activity were surveyed through self-administered questionnaires, and socioeconomic status, marital status, and history of morbidity were surveyed through face-to-face interviews.
RESULTS
Women had a higher frequency of underweight (10.4% vs. 7.0%, P < 0.001) than men. Among men, current smoking (odds ratio [OR], 1.62) and past history of cancer (OR, 2.55) were independently related to underweight. Among women, young age (OR, 2.06), former smoking (OR, 1.69), and being unmarried (OR, 1.56) were identified as independently related factors of underweight. In addition, among both men and women, alcohol drinking (men OR, 0.57; women OR, 0.77) and past history of chronic diseases (men OR, 0.55; women OR, 0.43) were independently related to a lower frequency of underweight.
CONCLUSION
We showed that various sociodemographic factors were associated with underweight. It was ascertained that there were differences in the sociodemographic factors related to underweight between Korean men and women.

Keyword

Underweight; Sex; Social Characteristics; Demographic Factors

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Alcohol Drinking
Body Mass Index
Chronic Disease
Cross-Sectional Studies
Demography
Drinking
Female
Health Behavior
Humans
Korea*
Male
Marital Status
Mortality
Motor Activity
Nutrition Surveys*
Overweight
Prevalence
Single Person
Smoke
Smoking
Social Class
Sociology
Thinness*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Smoke