한국 성인의 비만에 미치는 요인 분석: 경제적요인을 중심으로

Obesity stands out as a significant health concern in contemporary society, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting that over 4 million people succumb annually to complications related to overweight or obesity, similar to the fatalities caused by infectious diseases. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is on the rise among both adults and children globally, with the rate of overweight or obese children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 increasing more than fourfold from 4% to 18% between 1975 and 2016. In South Korea, data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey indicate a consistent increase in the overall obesity rate from 2010 to 2020, corroborated by national health insurance statistics which show a rising prevalence of obesity, notably abdominal obesity among men in their 30s and 40s.
While numerous studies have explored the causes of obesity, many have predominantly focused on non-economic factors, overlooking the interplay between economic variables such as income level and economic activity, and non-economic factors such as depression, stress, and physical activity. This study aimed to bridge this gap by analyzing a combination of economic and non-economic factors as determinants of obesity in Korean adults. Utilizing data from the 2019 National Health and Nutrition Survey, this study examined how economic factors such as income level and economic activity, along with physical factors including depression, stress, sleep, and physical activity, influence body mass index (BMI). In particular, this study investigated how these factors impact BMI based on economic activity status.
The results of this study showed that individuals in the high-income group exhibited lower BMI with increased sleep duration but higher BMI with greater economic activity. While the high-income group demonstrated a reduced likelihood of obesity, the economically active group displayed a higher probability of obesity, prompting further examination based on economic activity status. In the economically active group, longer sleep durations and higher depression levels were associated with lower BMI, whereas in the economically inactive group, higher income group were linked to lower BMI while higher depression levels correlated with higher BMI. It is a noteworthy research result that depression levels affect BMI in different ways depending on economic activity.