Differential patterns of lifestyle behaviors among low- and high-income postmenopausal women in Korea: a latent class analysis

BACKGROUND: Healthy lifestyle behaviors among postmenopausal women are important to prevent chronic diseases and improve health later in life. Heterogeneous lifestyle patterns may exist among postmenopausal women, and socioeconomic status (SES) is a critical determinant of lifestyle behaviors. However, little is known about distinct SES-specific patterns of lifestyle behaviors among postmenopausal women. Thus, this study used latent class analysis to identify subgroups of postmenopausal women with different health behaviors according to income and to examine the predictors of income-specific subgroups. METHODS: We analyzed nationally representative data from the Eighth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, collected in 2019 and 2020. We used nine lifestyles (i.e., current smoking and drinking, high-risk drinking, walking, muscle-strengthening exercise, sleep, vegetable and fruit intakes, and weight control efforts). We conducted a multiple-group latent class analysis using monthly household income as a proxy for SES. The monthly household income variable was calculated by standardizing monthly household income by the number of family members and then divided into quintiles. We classified the participants into low- (i.e., Q1 and Q2) and high-income (i.e., Q3, Q4, and Q5) groups. RESULTS: Although the three-class models best fit the data of low- and high-income groups, we found differential patterns by income: (a) for low-income group, “relatively healthy (RH),” “lowest physical activity, insufficient fruit intake, and no intention to control weight,” and “high-risk drinking and insufficient fruit intake” classes and (b) for high-income group, “RH,” “lowest physical activity,” “high-risk drinking and insufficient fruit intake and sleep” classes. The proportion of the RH class was largest in both groups. However, lifestyle patterns in low-income group showed multiple and unhealthy characteristics than those in high-income group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that different underlying lifestyle patterns exist in postmenopausal women with low- and high-income. To promote healthy behaviors among postmenopausal women, health professionals should develop and apply lifestyle interventions tailored to lifestyle pattern characteristics according to income.