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.