Study on the Relationship between Food Insecurity and the Korean Healthy Eating Index of Household Type in Korean Adults

Seung Jae Lee, Eugene Choi^*

Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Yongin University, Korea

Abstract

This study compared food security and dietary quality, as assessed by the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI), between single-person and multi-person households among Korean adults using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the KNHANES data. The participants were categorized into single-person and multi-person households based on the household composition. Food security was assessed using a validated questionnaire that categorized households into food-secure, mildly food-insecure, and moderateto- severe food-insecure groups. The dietary quality was evaluated using the KHEI, Nutrient Adequacy Ratio (NAR), and Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR). The final analysis included 13,647 adults aged 19–64 years. Among them, 1,176 (8.6%) were single-person households, while 12,471 (91.4%) were multi-person households. Single-person households showed a significantly higher prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity than multi-person households (5.7% vs. 1.8%). The KHEI scores were significantly lower in single-person households (57.5±0.6) than in multi-person households (62.5±0.2, P<0.0001). Single-person households showed higher food insecurity and poorer dietary quality than multi-person households. These findings suggest the need for targeted nutritional interventions and policies to address the dietary disparities across different household types in Korea.