Association Between Family Structure and Obesity Among Korean Adolescents

In Korea, grandparents often play a crucial role in childrearing. Therefore, this study investigated the association between family structure and obesity among Korean adolescents.

Data were analyzed from 3,328 adolescents (1,783 male adolescents and 1,545 female adolescents aged 10-18 years) who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2018 to 2023. Overweight and obesity were defined as a body mass index ≥85^th and ≥95^th percentiles, respectively, based on the 2017 Korean Growth Charts. Family structure was categorized as follows: living with both parents; living with a single parent; living with grandparents and parents; or living with grandparents only. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations, adjusting for age and household income, number of siblings, region, parental education level, frequency of eating out, and regular breakfast intake.

The prevalence of obesity was 15.0% (17.7% in male adolescents and 12.1% in female adolescents). Male adolescents living with grandparents and parents were more likely to be overweight (odds ratio [OR] 2.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46-3.81) or obese (OR 2.47; 95% CI, 1.46-4.19) than those living with both parents, whereas no significant associations with family structure were observed in female adolescents.

Korean male adolescents living with grandparents had higher odds of being overweight or obese. Accordingly, further research is warranted to explore how family structure influences adolescent obesity.