Concordance in the Health Behaviors of Couples by Age: A Cross-sectional Study

OBJECTIVES: To investigate concordance in the health behaviors of women and their partners according to age and to investigate whether there was a stronger correlation between the health behaviors of housewives and those of their partners than between the health behaviors of non-housewives and those of their partners. METHODS: We used data obtained from women participants in the 2015 Korea Community Health Survey who were living with their partners. The outcome variables were 4 health behaviors: smoking, drinking, eating salty food, and physical activity. The main independent variables were the partners’ corresponding health behaviors. We categorized age into 4 groups (19-29, 30-49, 50-64, and ≥ 65 years) and utilized multivariate logistic regression analysis, stratifying by age group. Another logistic regression analysis was stratified by whether the participant identified as a housewife. RESULTS: Data from 64 971 women older than 18 years of age were analyzed. Of the 4 health behaviors, the risk of smoking (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.93 to 5.49) was highest when the participant’s partner was also a smoker. Similar results were found for an inactive lifestyle (aOR, 2.56; 95% CI, 2.45 to 2.66), eating salty food (aOR, 2.48; 95% CI, 2.36 to 2.62); and excessive drinking (aOR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.80 to 1.98). In comparison to non-housewives, housewives had higher odds of eating salty food. CONCLUSIONS: The health behaviors of women were positively correlated with those of their partners. The magnitude of the concordance differed by age group.