Background
Evidence on the association between obesity parameters, including body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), and osteoarthritis is limited. This study aimed to investigate these associations in Korean adults.
Methods
This nationwide cross-sectional study used data from 24,101 adults aged ≥19 years who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016–2020. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for osteoarthritis according to BMI and WC were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analyses.
Results
The prevalence of osteoarthritis was higher in individuals with general (10.0%) and abdominal obesity (12.8%) compared with those without. Greater BMI and WC were associated with a higher prevalence (P<0.001) and risk of osteoarthritis (Model 3, P for trend <0.001). Individuals with general and abdominal obesity were associated with a 1.50-fold (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.35–1.67) and 1.64-fold (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.47–1.84) increased risk of osteoarthritis, compared with those without. Similar associations were observed in subgroups according to age, sex, smoking status, and presence of diabetes mellitus. The odds of osteoarthritis 1.73-fold increased (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.53–1.95) in individuals with both general and abdominal obesity compared with those without any of them.
Conclusion
Greater BMI, WC, and general and abdominal obesity were associated with an increased risk of osteoarthritis in Korean adults. Appropriate management of abdominal and general obesity may be important to reduce the risk of osteoarthritis.

Citations

• Association between waist circumference or weight change after smoking cessation and incidence of cardiovascular disease or all-cause death in Korean adults with type 2 diabetes
  Heajung Lee, Jaeyong Shin, Jae Woo Choi
  Frontiers in Endocrinology.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef

Background
Recently, single-person households have increased in Korea and this trend may have potential public health implications and affect various health behaviors. This study investigated the associations between living alone and health behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption among Korean adults.
Methods
We used data from the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2013 and 2015 and a total of 17,088 adults were included. We performed a multivariable logistic regression analysis and calculated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results
Single-person households accounted for about 10% of the total participants. The proportions of currently smoking and heavy alcohol consumption were higher among individuals living alone than those living together among younger women and middle-aged and elderly men and women. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, living alone was associated with increased odds of currently smoking compared to living together among middle-aged men and women (OR, 7.37; 95% CI, 2.33–23.32 in men and OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.04–5.36 in women) after adjusting for confounding variables.
Conclusion
From this nationwide, population-based study, we found that living alone is associated with increased odds of currently smoking, especially in middle-aged people. Public health concerns may be warranted for middle-aged single-person households to reduce health risks related to smoking.

Citations

• Associations of social isolation with sleep duration and sleep quality in the elderly: Mediating influence of depression
  Hong-Ying Yang, Lian Li, Lu-Jie Yu, Guo-Lin Bian
  World Journal of Psychiatry.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Early-term heterogeneous trajectories of patient-reported outcome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a multicenter and prospective longitudinal study
  Jinbo Zhao, Yongchao Hou, Yuan Chu, Min He, Renting Xie, Hui Liu, Yahui Wang, Li Li
  European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Living alone and cancer mortality by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status among US working‐age adults
  Hyunjung Lee, Gopal K. Singh, Ahmedin Jemal, Farhad Islami
  Cancer.2024; 130(1): 86.     CrossRef
• Association between living alone and all-cause mortality of young and middle-aged patients with acute myocardial infarction: analysis of the China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry
  Yu Jiang, Jin-Gang Yang, Hai-Yan Qian, Yue-Jin Yang
  BMC Public Health.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Smaller household size and higher prevalence of serious psychological distress in younger people and never-married people: a nationwide cross-sectional survey in Japan
  Kimiko Tomioka, Midori Shima, Keigo Saeki
  Frontiers in Public Health.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Longitudinal associations between living alone, childlessness and mental health and mortality in ageing adults in Thailand
  Supa Pengpid, Karl Peltzer, Dararatt Anantanasuwong, Wasin Kaewchankha
  Global Transitions.2024; 6: 145.     CrossRef
• The influencing factors of health status among low-income individuals living alone in Wuxi, China
  Shiming Li, Yue Wu, Queping Yang, Ying Jiang, Haohao Zhu
  Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Стресові стани українців, які проживають соло, під час війни
  Дар’я Яшкіна
  Sociological Studios.2024; (2(25)): 34.     CrossRef
• Determinants of Problem Drinking by Regional Variation among Adult Males in Single-Person Households: Geographically Weighted Regression Model Analysis
  Junggeun Ahn, Heeseung Choi, Jiu Kim
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing.2023; 53(1): 101.     CrossRef
• Six-year mortality associated with living alone and loneliness in Swedish men and women born in 1930
  Masuma Novak, Margda Waern, Lena Johansson, Anna Zettergren, Lina Ryden, Hanna Wetterberg, Therese Rydberg Sterner, Madeleine Mellqvist Fässberg, Pia Gudmundsson, Ingmar Skoog
  BMC Geriatrics.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Association between Increasing Social Capital and Decreasing Prevalence of Smoking at the Municipality Level: Repeated Cross-Sectional Study from the JAGES
  Hiroki Takeuchi, Kazushige Ide, Ryota Watanabe, Yasuhiro Miyaguni, Katsunori Kondo
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2022; 19(8): 4472.     CrossRef
• Living Alone Is Not Associated With Cardiovascular Events and Hypoglycemia in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
  Zhaowei Zhu, Zhenyu Peng, Zhenhua Xing
  Frontiers in Public Health.2022;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Living alone and all-cause mortality in community-dwelling adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis
  Yunli Zhao, Gordon Guyatt, Ya Gao, Qiukui Hao, Ream Abdullah, John Basmaji, Farid Foroutan
  eClinicalMedicine.2022; 54: 101677.     CrossRef
• Current status of health promotion in Korea
  Soo Young Kim
  Journal of the Korean Medical Association.2022; 65(12): 776.     CrossRef