• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.87-99
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• 2021

The life of middle-aged one-person households is rising as one of the most important family policy issues in Korean society. In Japan, even in multi-person households, the issues of middle-aged sons and daughters living with their old parents have been a concern. Data are from the 13^th wave of the Korea Welfare Panel Study analyzing 482 middle-aged singe males regardless of their past marital status. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of human capital and social capital on the life satisfaction of middle-aged single persons by comparing one-person and multi-person households, respectively. Major results were as follows: First, the level of human capital of one-person households of middle aged males was lower than their counterparts in multi-person households. Second, the level of social capital in the group of divorced or widowed, nonhouseholder middle-aged males in multi-person households was lower than their counterparts in one-person households. Third, the effects of human capital and social capital on life satisfaction was significantly different by their marital status and household types in the group of middle-aged single males. Based on the results, policy implications on the community programs for middle-aged males including not only one-person households but also multi-person households were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.283-292
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• 2023

Considering that the number of middle-aged single-person households is increasing, this study investigates dietary behaviors, nutrient intake, and mental health according to household type. Data were procured from the 2015-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Totally, 5,466 participants aged 50-64 years were classified into 2 groups: a household with one member was defined as a single-person household, and households with two or more members were described as multi-person households. Single-person households comprised 10.63% of the total, with a higher average age, and lower income and economic levels than multi-person households. Compared to multi-person households, single-person households had a higher frequency of skipping breakfast, eating alone, and dining out, the moderately and severely food insecure group was more than 5 times, and nutrient intake and dietary quality were poorer. In the fully adjusted model, the odds ratios (ORs) of depressive symptoms were 2.35 times (95% CI: 1.39-3.96), and suicide ideation was 1.95 times (95% CI: 1.35-2.82) in single-person compared to multi-person households. Our results lead us to conclude that poor dietary intake in middle-aged single-person households affects the mental health, and the above factors should be considered when framing the dietary policy.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.1-17
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• 2022

This study focused on the heterogeneity of groups in single-person households, to identify how middle-aged single-person households is categorized by sub-groups and to come up with policy measures to overcome social exclusion by examining predictive factors for the type of social exclusion. Potential class analysis and multinomial logistic regression analysis were conducted on a total of 361 middle-aged single-person households using the 14th Korea Replication Panel data. The social exclusion index of these households was measured consisting of 10 six-dimensional indicators. The results showed that middle-aged single-person households had five different types: "non-exclusion"(29.6%), "health restriction"(14.3%), "interact restriction and middle-risk multiple-exclusion" (12.0%), "income and health exclusion"(14.1%), and "high-risk multiple-exclusion"(30.0%). More than 70% of the respondents experienced social exclusion, and most of the exclusion types were multiple exclusion. When examining the factors affecting each exclusion type, the 'subjective health level' was a common major predictor, and family interact, age and leisure activity satisfaction variables were significant predictors of the 'high-risk multiple exclusion type' and 'the interact restriction and middle-risk multiple-exclusion type'. Based on these results, a multidimensional intervention strategy is an effective measure to solve the social exclusion problem of middle-aged single-person households, and practical measures should be considered by strengthening 'health' and exchanges.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.59
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• pp.55-79
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• 2018

The aim of study to compare the change trajectory of socioeconomic deprivation and depression the middle-aged in the single-person household and that in the Multi-person Household and to confirm the difference between the two groups. It is to examine the Longitudinal relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and depression. To do so, we studied 4,212 single-person household and Multi-person Household cases in the 7th to 11th Korea Welfare Panel Study (2012~2016). To verify the difference between both groups, we go on analysis with the latent growth curve model. According to our analysis, it is confirmed that the socioeconomic deprivation and depression of single-person households is higher than those of Multi-person Household and thus there is meaningful difference between both groups. Also, we reveal that the socioeconomic deprivation of Multi-person Household tends to decease while that of single-person household doesn't decline significantly. Furthermore, it appears that the socioeconomic deprivation is directly proportional to the depression in both groups. This research has meaningful significance in that we discussed in depth the relationship between the socioeconomic deprivation and depression of both groups, suggesting that welfare approach should be needed in the middle-aged in the single-person household.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.88-95
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• 2021

This study compared the lifestyle patterns, dietary patterns, and health care practices of Korean middle-aged people by household type, and ultimately analyzed their relationship with different risk factors for the prevalence and severity of metabolic syndrome. We analyzed the data from 4,755 subjects who were from 40 to 64 years old, and gathered our sample from participants of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2013 to 2015. Our results showed that single-person households had lower economic income levels, lower subjective health statuses, and higher levels of food instability than households with two or more individuals. The incidence of metabolic syndrome was 1.64 times higher in single-person households than in households with two or more individuals. After adjusting for potential confounding factors (sex, age, education, household income, smoking status, health status, and dietary factors), single-person households showed 1.75 times higher hypertriglyceridemia ORs than non-single-person households. In the conclusion of our study, we suggest that middle-aged people in single-person households may be at greater risk for metabolic syndrome and hypertriglyceridemia.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.25-50
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• 2017

Recently, concern about family safety is rising again as an important issue with the context of family healthiness and well-being in Korean society despite of the dramatic economic growth. The purpose of this study is to examine the status of family safety of singles and single-parent households and to investigate the effect of social capital on the level of their family safety. Data are from the 10th wave of Korea Welfare Panel Study analysing one-person households(N=2,017) and single-parent households(N=172). One-person households were categorized as three groups by age(the youths/middle-aged/the elderly) and single-parent households were also three by family types(mother-child/fahter-child/grandparent-child). The major results were as follows: First, the mean of family safety index was highest among middle-aged, while single youths had the fewest problems in terms of family safety. Second, social capital was found to vary by family structure. In the one-person households, all the levels of the social capital variables, including trust, bond, acceptance, and participation, differed significantly; only two variables, bond and embracement, differed in the single-parent households. Third, social capital differed between the low-income households and others significantly. Forth, the positive effects of social capital on overcoming family safety problems were investigated. In conclusion, social capital represents an alternative resource for overcoming economic hardship for low-income one-person/single-parent households, especially for middle-aged singles and father-child single-parent households. Based on these empirical results, theoretical implications were discussed with regard to family policy and programs.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.54-74
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• 2023

This study examined the subcomponents of the local environment that have an important influence on the life satisfaction of people living in single-person households and analyzed how the causal relationship between these variables differs between generations. Specifically, the local environment was classified into the following subcomponents: convenience, comfort, safety, healthcare, and neighborhood relationships. This study analyzed the data of 3,260 respondents from single-person households in the 2020 Residents' Quality of Life Survey in Gyeonggi Province. As a result, it was found that the perception of all subcomponents of the local environment had a positive effect on the life satisfaction of people in single-person households. The effect of neighborhood relationships was relatively large compared to other subcomponents. Next, the influencing factors on life satisfaction of people in single-person households showed differences between generations, which were defined by this study as youth (under age 35), middle-aged (35-64), and elderly (65 and older). Convenience and safety for the youth group and neighborhood relationship for the middle-aged group were most important. The elderly group was most affected by healthcare. The proportion of single-person households worldwide, including in Korea, is gradually increasing, and considering this, this study provides important policy implications.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 2022

This study aims to investigate predictors of the subjective well-being of middle-aged single mothers who experienced divorce or bereavement. The study involved 244 divorced or widowed women from the 7th Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families aged 40-60 who had children and were employed. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were conducted. The research results showed that the socio-demographic characteristic (marital status and health), person-related variables (satisfaction with leisure activity and stress), and work-related variables (job satisfaction and work-family enrichment) were significantly related to happiness of middle-aged single mothers. Current economic status and stress were associated with depression in middle-aged single mothers. Increasing middle-aged single mothers' participation in healthy leisure activities, reducing their stress, and improving their satisfaction with work were found to be important to enhancing their subjective well-being. Regarding the foregoing, policy directions were discussed for middle-aged single mothers' leisure activities, stress management, and improved satisfaction with work.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.316-329
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between dietary quality based on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI), and the prevalence of chronic conditions among middle-aged individuals (40-60 yrs of age) living alone. MATERIALS/METHODS: The participants were selected (1,517 men and 2,596 women) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016-2018 and classified into single-person households (SPH) and multi-person households (MPH). Nutrient intake, KHEI, and the prevalence of chronic conditions were compared according to household size. The odds ratios (ORs) of chronic conditions were analyzed according to the tertile levels of KHEI by gender within each household size category. RESULTS: Men in SPH had a significantly lower total KHEI score (P < 0.0001) and a lower prevalence of obesity (OR, 0.576) than those in MPH. For men, the adjusted ORs for obesity, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia in the first tertile (T1) of KHEI scores within SPH compared with the third tertile (T3) were 4.625, 3.790, and 4.333, respectively. Moreover, the adjusted OR for hypertriglyceridemia in the T1 group compared to the T3 group within the MPH was 1.556. For women, the adjusted ORs for obesity and hypertriglyceridemia in T1 compared to T3 within the SPH were 3.223 and 7.134, respectively, and 1.573 and 1.373 for obesity and hypertension, respectively, within MPH. CONCLUSIONS: A healthy eating index was associated with a reduced risk of chronic conditions in middle-aged adults. Greater adherence to a healthy eating index could lower the risk of chronic conditions in middle-aged adults living alone.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.337-349
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between eating behaviour and healthy dietary competency of single and multi-person households, to improve healthy eating behavior. Methods: This study was conducted on 6,355 adult household members who participated in the Food Consumption Behavior Survey 2020. The subjects were divided into age groups comprising young people in their 20s and 30s, middle-aged people in their 40s and 50s, and the elderly in their 60s and above. The eating behavior and healthy dietary competency of single-person and multi-person households were then analyzed. Results: The average age of the members in the single-person households was found to be higher. Single-person households were also found to have a lower marriage rate and lower monthly household income than multi-person households across the age groups of young, middle-aged, and elderly people (P < 0.05). Among each of the age groups, single-person households had significantly higher rates of skipping breakfast and eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner alone than multi-person households (P < 0.05). Young single-person households had lower average scores on healthy dietary competency than multi-person households (P = 0.032). When adjusted for age, gender, marriage, education, occupation, and household income, single-person households had a higher risk of delivery/take-out, eating out, or skipping meals compared to multi-person households (P < 0.05). In multi-person households, the risk of skipping meals, eating alone, eating out, or delivery/take-out decreased as healthy dietary competency improved (P < 0.05). On the other hand, in single-person households, as healthy dietary competency increased, the risk of delivery/take-out or eating alone decreased (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that healthy dietary competency and eating practices can be improved by providing customized dietary education by age group for single and multi-person households.